Do I give the impression that I always find what I go searching for? If I do, then I apologise because I don’t but, rather than letting that get me down, I’ve learnt to appreciate what I find along the way.

Yesterday was one of those days. Three Firecrests had been reported the previous day, in trees around the edge of a local recreation ground; I couldn’t find them. A female Goldeneye had been seen in Cardiff Bay over several days and, though I’d had a fleeting glimpse, I wanted to try for photos; I couldn’t find her. And, though, as you’ve seen, I have already taken photos of the Red-throated diver that’s still feeding in the channel off the Barrage, I was hoping for closer views; it stayed distant.

But there was a consolation prize from my seven-mile walk: the one bird that did pose well for me, allowing a close look at its stunning plumage and some reasonable photos as I watched it drying its wings, this handsome young Cormorant.