Today was festival of swans at WWT Welney, so I make no excuses for showing images of the whooper swans.

It has been misty nearly all day which in a way made it better as most of the swans remained on the Wash at Welney, only during breaks in the mist when it looked like it was lifting did some of the swans decide to fly out to feed in the surrounding fields.

Being the first day of the festival of swans despite the mist there was still plenty about, it seemed the Barn Owls were out early hunting as there were good sightings of one feeding along the bank of the drains, there had also been a sighting of a Long-eared Owl sitting on a post on the road that leads to Welney WWT centre, add to that Marsh Harrier, Rough Legged Buzzard and Merlin anyone visiting  today would not have been disappointed.

Not seen, but leaving plenty of evidence in the form of tracks there had been Otters in the Bedford New Cut easily overlooked by people crossing the footbridge they were there for all to see.

Along with the swans, were Pochard, the male far outnumbers the female at Welney with only 10% of the females coming here whilst most of the females will spend the Winter in the warmer climate of Spain.

There were also Snipe, Golden Plover, Black-tailed godwit, Redshank  and lapwing in good numbers, so all in all despite the weather it was a good day, I will finish off this post with more images of the Whooper Swans, after all it is Festival of Swans weekend.