On the beach

Such good fortune on the first day of our stay to wake up to a sunny morning, with the remaining cloud being blown away to leave a bright blue sky. Everywhere you look the trees are thick with leaves in peak condition, earlier than usual due to so much rain and increased warmth. The sea is a vivid blue, the sand golden. Oxwich is such a special place - no matter what the weather, I must say.

One of the pleasures of the Oxwich Bay Hotel is the full cooked breakfast bar, in addition to cereals, fresh toast and patisserie. It sets you up for a day of physical activity. After breakfast, we walked to the hide by the pond set among reed beds. Several swallows were active, and no wonder. Remnants of several nests can be seen on the roof beams. One nest was complete with a couple of hungry chicks in it. Their parents flew in and out several times before we realised the nest was populated. Then I noticed one of them on another beam, waiting patiently for human activity below to die down or move away. Twice I saw a bird with a large insect in its beak, a dragonfly or daddy longlegs, not sure. The photos I took weren't the best but that's not surprising, given the low light. I was using my Sony Alpha 68. I must return there with my Olympus OMD E-M10.1 plus long lens to see if I can get improved pictures as it has image stabilisation, which might make a difference in those conditions.

Clare walked back to the beach, and I walked back by a different route to photograph some flowers, and attempt to photograph a couple of mating butterflies, but no luck. I joined her on the beach to walk back to the hotel, but then went on, up to St Illtud's church to take a few more photos. We had a snack lunch, then a siesta before returning to the beach, as Clare wanted to pick a spot to sit and read. I walked the length of the beach as far as the river, to check what's happened about the bridge near the shore, which was washed off its mounting a couple of years ago. Now the coast path leads to a footbridge, further up-river at a narrower bend. There are a couple more bridges further inland, in the area known as Oxwich Marsh. It's a fascinating wetland area, full of wildlife. It's a pity that it's 45 minutes walk from the village before you can start exploring the area.

Walking along the beach, I was impressed to see how many different kinds of sea shell were being washed in by the tide, suggesting that the bay's off-shore marine ecosystem is still pretty diverse. I didn't see any dunlin running along the shore today, not even the sound of an oyster-catcher, just the usual gull and crow population, tits, robins and warblers.

We went for an early supper at the Hotel, as we were both tired and hungry. A vegetarian tagine dish was what we both fancied. Clare, feeding her cold, was hungry enough to have a goat cheese ravioli starter and a pudding. I enjoyed an interesting tapenade and foccacia starter, something I can try emulating at home.