Coot - first youngsters

These young Coot are probably only a few hours old and it looked like this was their first outing from the nest. I suspect the bird in the lower photo, seeing its reflection for the first time, was thinking "who is that handsome chap?"
Ian Wilson contacted me early in March after I mentioned that I had never seen any young Water Vole and sent me a link to some great shots he had taken last year on the Cromford Canal. I have just seen that he has taken some more shots of young Water Vole that are certainly worth a look and again on Cromford Canal.

Coot - chicks