Cold and Grey

Hide with a view.  The Manton Bay lagoon where an Osprey is nesting on a nesting site - it really was this bleak!

Another frustrating day sitting by the reservoir.  I arrived at the Lyndon nature reserve just before 9am.  I signed in and off I went through the mud and gloom towards the Shallow Water hide at the far end of the reserve.   The first part of the walk was reasonable enough.  I saw a Blackcap and Chiffchaf singing away, their songs lifting the gloom.   Just as an aside I do wish the BBC weather people would get their heads out of the London centric forecasts.  They had predicted good weather for the East Midlands almost as an after thought.  Needless to say the forecast was wrong.

I finally arrived at the Shallow Water hide after about of a mile walk.  I had the hide to myself which is always nice.   I dropped the cover and took a look out.  My heart sank.   Somewhere in the gloom about 1/2 a mile from the hide was the Osprey nesting site, a specially built platform in the middle of Manton Bay.   I peered through the gloom with my binoculars and was surprised to see a bird on the nest.  The surprise wasn't that there but rather that it wasn't an Osprey but rather a more common Canadian Goose!   Spirits plummeted.

No matter I thought lets just see what might happen.   Nothing.   This, of course, is not true.  There was plenty of things happening, none of it within easy photographic reach.   The only thing that came within range was a flock of Hebridean sheep wondered by.   Out on the water the House martins were performing and flocks of ducks and Egyptian  geese squabbled amongst themselves.  None of this near where I was sitting.   After about an hour or so of this I decided to give up and walk back to the visitor centre.

Photo of the day!

As I walked back along the farm track, leaving the muddy path to its own devices, I came across a number of slugs slimming over the track towards the grass.  Out came my trusty G9 and I started snapping.  After this I went back to the centre had a chat with a fellow visitor who informed me that the Osprey nest had eggs in it, not sure what the goose was doing there perhaps a bit of baby sitting?

The weather hadn't improved so I decided to take a walk to other end of the reserve in search of a reported nightingale.   Again the track was muddy and I am sorry to say I only made it as far as the Swan hide as I had almost fallen over.  This is a well named hide as it over looks a small pool which had a resident pair of mute swans, a pair of mallards and coots.   After about 15 minutes I decided to call it a day and slithered my way back to the centre for some warmth.   The weather still didn't appear to be lifting so I beat a retreat home.

So what of the hunt for the Osprey?   Well they are there but too far away to get any interesting photographs.   Do I continue?   Well yes but it is not looking promising but you just never know.