My second visit to the RSPB Annual BirdFair at Rutland Water (Jacqui's first) was not too promising as the day was cool and overcast but at least it was not actually raining. After an orienteering session in one marquee we obtained a show guide and decided to attend "Just a Linnet" - a light hearted panel game based loosely on something similar hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Then we headed to the Anglian Water Centre for a talk on "Supplementary feeding of garden birds". After that we saw a demonstration of ringing and were treated to a closeup view of a willow warbler being held in the hand. On returning later to the centre for a second talk we joined a queue who were blocking the path to photograph this young dragonfly.
It sat completely still (we think for at least an hour) and had its picture taken approximately once every 5 seconds. What you see here is one of the best from each of our cameras.
What we learned from the talk (coincidentally on dragonflies) was that a perching dragonfly with its wings closed is a damselfly and a damselfly with its wings wide open is a dragonfly.
By now the weather had turned to steady rain and we had seen all the marquees so we headed home pausing briefly in the carpark to buy 60kg of assorted bird food including (for the first time for us) dried mealworms.
By now the weather had turned to steady rain and we had seen all the marquees so we headed home pausing briefly in the carpark to buy 60kg of assorted bird food including (for the first time for us) dried mealworms.
