I hope today (Mon 21st) was not ‘Blue Monday’ for you. It wasn’t particularly blue skies but a certain amount of brightness made my walk along the Trent and around the nature reserve better than expected. There are still a large number of goosanders throughout the reserve and the robins were friendly as usual. Someone pointed out a green woodpecker in front of one of the hides, a fieldfare was defending his apple tree as on my last visit (see below) and I had fleeting glimpses of the elusive firecrest (a lifetime first!). I saw several small groups of long tailed tits and two individuals chose to perch in good light for long enough for me to get a few good shots.