I’m so glad I battled the elements (and it was a battle, with strong winds, frequent showers, and one particularly nasty squall that saw me sheltering behind trees that were bending at an alarming angle from the force of the wind!) to walk across to Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve this morning.

Even though my views of this Great northern diver (what you Americans out there call a Common loon) were always distant, I was lucky to meet up with a local birding friend who let me use his telescope for a better look. We seldom see these handsome birds in my area, and, even better, this diver was still in its spectacular summer plumage (check here for better photos). A distant treat!