Draycote Stroll

I decided to take advantage of the fine crisp weather and take a stroll around Draycote Reservoir on Sunday afternoon.  It was a beautiful afternoon, which quite surprisingly did not draw in the usual crowds of joggers, ramblers and cyclists to the site and we hardly saw anyone during our circuit.  Birding highlights included a drake Smew near the Valve Tower and a huge gull roost which had a mixture of Blackheaded, Lesser Black Backed, Greater Black Backed and Herring - I am sure there will have been other species there as well but I was with a non birder who does not hold the same interest in gulls as me.  Probably the highlight of the afternoon was the dramatic sunset and light, similar to the below photo captured a couple of years ago.

From a birding perspective, it turns out that I should have gone to Brandon Marsh instead, as two Bitterns were showing - Oh well, there is always next week.