Heavenly Jeziorki

I meet St Peter at the Pearly Gates. "Where are you from?" he asks me. "Jeziorki," I reply. "Proceed. You'll know what to expect."

I look out of the kitchen window and see a black-headed gull, it's underside lit up by the rays of the setting sun. Yes. Good to be here - my spot on Planet Earth.

Rather than take the 209 home from Metro Wilanowska, I take the 715 to Kórnicka, to have yet another chance to walk by the ponds, making the most of this sublime time of year.

Below: looking across from the new footpath alongside ul. Dumki towards ul. Trombity. Heaven.

Below: the coot chicks, aged two days. Mum is teaching them how to look for food. They will not starve - food is plentiful.

Below: the great crested grebes (as seen in yesterday's post) are nest-building on a tiny island.

Meanwhile, the black-necked grebes' chicks have hatched, which you can see the adult's back (below). Note the black-and-white stripes on head and beak. These may be less than a day old - these grebes were chickless yesterday (see previous post).

Below: one grebe has just dived for food and has popped up to feed the young. Grebes and coots, unlike ducks, are sexually monomorphic - it is visually difficult to tell a male from a female.

Like the familiar mallard, with its green-headed male and the dowdier female, the common pochard is sexually dimorphic, with the males displaying more flamboyant plumage. Below: a male and female common pochard. New to Jeziorki this year.

The weather continues to be perfect; sixth day in a row. Long may it last thus.

This time four years ago:
Why are all the shops shut today?

This time five years ago:
Jeziorki at its most beautiful

This time seven years ago:
Useful and useless in my wallet

This time eight years ago:
In search of the dream klimat - remote viewing made real

This time nine years ago:
Zakopane to Kraków in 3hrs 45min

This time ten years ago:
The year's most beautiful day?