Comeuppance

Avocets are to my mind are a vicious bird, they don't tolerate neighbours kindly, seeing off all and sundry on "their" territory. Marshside is worse off since they decided to take up residence in my opinion. I remember when dozens of Godwits in brilliant breeding plumage would jostle for position right outside the hide, now it's almost a barren dessert with a couple of pair of Avocet ruling the roost. Godwits and other species are still on the reserve, but they shelter in the backwater gullies and are hard to see. It was good to see their dominance broken by this Shelduck, it had young to guard also and stood no hackling, giving the Avocet a taste of it's own medicine.