Ducking and Diving at Draycote

After last week's, optimistic 'Suggestions of Spring' post, showing Snowdrops, Winter Aconites and Daffodil buds it has felt more like Winter again here with low temperatures, rain and dreary days.

'Ah ! wherefore still the leafless wood,
The angry, roaring, raging flood,
That headlong rushes red as blood?
Ah! wherefore still, snow, sleet, and hail,
When vegetation should prevail.
And winter end her dismal tale?'

(Stephen George Kemble)

It was a pleasure, after an enforced absence, to be able to visit Draycote Water again recently but unfortunately when we arrived the wind had picked up and made walking and trying to hold the camera steady, an uncomfortable experience.

I love Draycote. It is one of the only places within easy reach to see birds which wouldn't usually frequent this landlocked area. The problem there is though, that unless you have the time to walk the five and a half miles around the whole perimeter, the decision has to be made as to which is the 'right' way to walk. As I don't usually have enough time to go all the way round my luck is that unfortunately, when looking for a particular bird which I know is there, I inevitably manage to pick the 'wrong' way. I always check the Draycote website before I go so this time was hoping to see the drake Smew off Farborough Bank where it had been sighted the day before and for several days previously. Of course, as is nearly always my luck, when I visited it had moved to the other side :( Oh well! We made the best of it and I was pleased to see a pair of Goldeneye Ducks. The Goldeneyes have a slight look of the Smew I think.

Goldeneye Ducks

'From troubles of the world I turn to ducks,

Beautiful comical things

Sleeping or curled

Their heads beneath white wings.'

(Frank W. Harvey)

What a striking bird the drake is.

Goldeneye (Drake)

The female has an attractiveness of her own too.

Goldeneye (Hen)

'And when beneath the pool
They dabble, and when they swim
And make their rippling rings,
0 ducks are beautiful things!'

(Frank W. Harvey)

Diving ducks (as opposed to dabblers) such as the Goldeneye can of course be frustrating to photograph due to their habit of disappearing under the water just as one is about to press the camera shutter but I can be pretty well always guaranteed to see another diving duck there, the Tufted Duck and I managed to catch this one just before it dived.

Tufted Duck (Drake)

We walked to the hide but as seems to nearly always be the case at Draycote it was locked. If it hadn't been I would have had a much better view of this mixed group of ducks which included Mallards, Teal and the odd Wigeon and Gadwall.

A Mixture of Ducks

'Tails uppermost, or waddling
Sailor-like on the shores
Of ponds, or paddling -
Left! Right! - with fanlike feet
Which are for steady oars.'

(Frank W. Harvey)

In the field on the far side of the water, among the Crows, I saw lots of Fieldfares but unfortunately they were too far away for photos.

In the trees, I spotted this Squirrel.

Grey Squirrel

'Small as he is, he knows he may want,
In the bleak winter weather, when food is scant,
So he finds a hole in an old tree's core,
And there makes his nest, and lays up his store.'

(Mary Howitt)

A little further on, I saw a gull, walking in the grass below the trees, which I think may be a second winter Common Gull or just a Common Gull in Winter plumage but as I am no expert on gulls and in my experience Black-headed Gulls are far more 'common' than Common Gulls, I stand to be corrected.

Common Gull?

(Edit: Thanks to Warren for confirmation of my ID)

The following photos were all taken at Draycote too but at the end of October, during a visit I didn't get round to posting here.

As is usually the case there were plenty of Pied Wagtails on the rocks looking for a tasty insect or two.

Pied Wagtail

I was pleased to see a good number of Meadow Pipits foraging on the grassy bank at the side of the path. They weren't too bothered by passers by, just flying a little further on when approached, before settling again.

Meadow Pipit

'Birds are poetry come to life and set to music'

(Elizabeth Gordon)

On this occasion I got a better view of a Teal



Teal Duck (drake)

and also of this Gadwall which entered into a prolonged and sometimes synchronised preening session with a Mallard. I watched them for some time hoping that the Gadwall would give me a better pose but it was far too busy with its ablutions to worry about photo opportunities!

Gadwall with Mallard (above and below)

The Cormorants at Draycote are usually seen standing sentinel on boats or buoys but the one in the photo below was in the water seeking its next meal

Cormorant

While this Canada Goose looked as if it was trying to will something to appear for its meal!

Canada Goose

Well that's it for now...enjoy the beauty of Nature, wherever you are.