30 Days Wild day 29- Sticklebacks

One of the nicest things about the village I live in, in my opinion, is the beck (or small stream) which runs through the centre. It's full of ducks and moorhens, and at dusk you often see bats flying overhead, catching the midges which rise up from the water. On sunny days in the summer holidays, it will be full of children, having boat races or trying to catch the tiny fish which shoal over the rocks. Today I went out to try something I've not attempted before- getting a photo of these fish.

Most were too small and fast for me to get images of at all, never mind good enough ones to identify the species. Then there were those hidden by the reflections, visible only as little darting silhouettes. The smaller ones kept to the shallows, sheltered by the banks or hidden amongst the water weed which grows where the current is slower. The larger ones are right in the centre, fighting against the current, swimming hard just to stay still. One fish, however was stationary and well lit enough that I could see the bright blue eye and blush stomach which identified him as a male three-spined stickleback in breeding colours.

As one of many Springwatch viewers who followed Spineless Simon's story in the 2015 series, it was great to be able to get close to one of these charismatic little fish! And if you didn't see it first time round, I thoroughly recommend this highlights video!