Avocet Chick Its been a very tough week this week. Our lovely horse Finn, my personal favourite, had to be put to sleep. With his heart giving out he stopped eating and there really was no alternative but to do the right thing by him. On Friday I decided a day out birding was required to cheer me up and, with nothing to temp me to go further afield, I opted for a chilled out visit to Slimbridge. In terms of new ticks for my UK list, its been a slow year so far with just 5 additions, all major rarities:- Northern Waterthrush, Social Lapwing, Indigo Bunting, Collared Flycatcher and Bridled Tern. Last year really was an exceptional year for great rarities in the UK so I guess its back to normal in 2024! Taking my usual advantage of the members early access privilege I took a slow walk along the hides towards the Summer Walkway. The Rushy was alive with new beginnings with good numbers of Avocet chicks in various stages of development. Subjectively at least, the Avocets seem to