I just keep returning to this photo and overloading. The repeating angles of the cattails themselves and his legs and feet, the way an out-of-focus cattail extends his crest, the unbelievable eye, the beautiful beak, the colours... I'm a confirmed green heron fan, but this beats all!

that works!

Is this one of the ones that he 'shook out of his shoe' -- I love the visual -- or did he throw or kick this fancy one specially, do you suppose?

What beautiful composition! The tans and whites, the oval motifs, the angled lines... Does true justice to this already magnificent young bird.

Couldn't figure out how I managed to study Archaeology at the then-UCC, in Cathays Park, without anybody ever mentioning this. We'd visit Tinkinswood and St Lythans, but our own stone circle? Till I googled it and found that it hadn't even been installed yet when I was there! Ancient is relative...

Indian Game rooster?

It was my dream, from overseas,to study Archaeology/Geology at UC Cardiff, and I did. It was utterly the high point of my life, and the experience informs my existence every day. The soulless programme that they wish to retain and build -- devoid of nature and history -- fills my heart with horror.

Utterly enchanting portrait. And just look at that back-claw grappling hook -- no wonder they're so brilliant at what they do!

The close-packing here is amazing, and skillfully done -- don't they typically look much gappier, and more a visual excluder than a physical one?

And nice cross-bedding in the ORS blocks, to boot. Now that we've all acquired your Hillforts book for Christmas, what we need is a byways of Wales compendium. I am still spinning fantasies about the little stone shelter with the red door, built into the clifftop, in your post from a month back.

So much more tantalising than a Roman fort!

It would be such a help to some of us who really love these structures, but lack an encyclopaedic knowledge of them, if the name could always be provided. Beautiful images!