After a week of being under the weather with a heavy cold, I managed to remake my acquaintance with my gear last Friday 10th, but only locally to Welney WWT, just over the border in Norfolk.

Despite a beautiful day weather wise, there was little around so I relieved the boredom with a few shots of the resident Mallards but anything of any interest was much too far away.

Then a party of Whooper Swans made their approach, apparently just arriving from their migration flight from Iceland after, no doubt, a refuelling stop in Scotland.

One made a passable interpretation of a ski-jumper at the winter Olympics at Sochi.

and finally ending their long flight with a well-earned bathe.

Welney is also well-known for it's winter population of Bewick's Swans although it is still too early for them at present. However, I was informed that they have started their migration via Estonia. One group was followed on Thursday 9th October, leaving their breeding site at 6.00am and flying non-stop until 6.00pm covering 870 kilometres - an average speed of over 70 kilometers an hour - quite remarkable.

Hopefully I will be able to get out again this week although the weather forecast looks far from promising.