Tiny

As promised, more babies today.
Keeping their distance from the ducks, geese and swans at Straw's Bridge, were a family of Coots with four tiny chicks.

It is often said that Coot chicks are - shall we say - less than pretty.  That they have the sort of face only a mother could love, but I think that's being too superficial.  To my mind, they are every bit as beautiful as the ducklings.

The parents of these four little darlings were being very fastidious in their ministrations to their brood.  But adult Coots have a darker side to their nature.  I'm afraid to say they can turn against their young at any time and attack one or more of them, eventually killing their youngsters.  Lets hope these little ones have more tolerant parents - it looks like it at the moment.