Draycote Water

Last weekend we went to Draycote Water. We went there previously, about a month ago and unfortunately, on that occasion the weather was appalling, when we arrived at our destination the sky was grey and there was a depressing drizzle enveloping us. After a while the rain stopped but there was a very brisk wind blowing across the water and the sky remained a dreary grey throughout our visit. We tried to make the most of it and walked for nearly three hours before the heavens opened and we returned to the car drenched to the skin!

However, we knew this was a place worth returning to and this time we were much luckier, the weather was glorious. It was what I call a golden day, one of those days we only see as Summer loses her will to live and Autumn starts to tighten his grip. The sun shone and the colours of Nature were strong and vibrant. We were celebrating a special occasion and the weather was a perfect reproduction of that very special day which seems like yesterday but is rather more than that!


Draycote Water is a reservoir near the town of Rugby in Warwickshire and is owned and run by Severn Trent water who also manage an adjacent 20 acre country park. The reservoir was created in the 1960s and was opened in 1969 and is by far the largest expanse of water in Warwickshire. It covers more than 600 acres and holds up to 5,000 million gallons of water.

There is a visitor centre which incorporates a gift shop, cafe, ranger's office and fishery although the cafe has currently ceased to operate while they tender for a new catering supplier. There is, however, a mobile catering unit supplying hot food and drinks.

Draycote is renowned as a site for birdwatching and is particularly popular with boaters, windsurfers and fly fishers who fish for Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout from the banks or from boats and, as we saw them, up to their waists in the water itself!



Living where we do, which is about as far as one can be from the coast in this country, I was immediately struck by how, being at this place, felt like being at the seaside.



It is a five mile walk around the perimeter and took us nearly five hours but of course we walked slowly so as not to miss anything and stopped many, many times just to look and watch. There are frequently rare and unusual birds seen here and although I don't think we saw anything particularly unusual on this occasion, it was a thoroughly enjoyable walk. I am not very familiar with water/wading birds so welcome any corrections to my IDs. Most of the bird photos benefit from being clicked on I think.

Each time we went there was an abundance of Pied Wagtails.



This time we also saw these

Yellow Wagtail

Edit: Thanks very much to Warren for pointing out that the bird above is a juvenile Yellow and not a Grey Wagtail as I first thought.

I thought these Mallards looked very colourful.



and this Coot looked comical as Coots have a habit of doing!

'Busy, busy, busy!
Things to do, places to go'!

We saw Cormorants.

'The common cormorant or shag
Lays eggs inside a paper bag.
The reason you will see, no doubt:
It is to keep the lightning out.

But what these unobservant birds
Have never noticed is that herds
Of wandering bears may come with buns
And steal the bags to hold the crumbs.'

(Christopher Isherwood)

I thought this Great Crested Grebe looked very handsome.

Now, I have completely pickled my brain with these next birds! I have looked through all my books and google images but nothing looks quite right which could possibly be, I wonder, because they are juveniles. I have considered Dunlins, Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Curlew Sandpipers, Godwits and many others but I'm sure they will be easily identified by those more familiar with waders than I am.

Dunlin

Edit: Thanks very much to my very knowledgeable blogland bird friend Warren for also identifying these (at least they were first on my list of possibilities!).

I know these are

Tufted Ducks

I was very pleased to see this pretty

Little Ringed Plover

and these

Lapwing

'Pennons of the autumn wind, flying the same loose flag,
minions of the rush of air, companions of draggled cloud,
tattered, scattered pell mell, diving, with side-slip suddenly wailing
as they scale the uneasy sky flapping the lapwing fly.

See them fall wailing over high hill tops with hue and cry,
like uneasy ghosts slipping in the dishevelled air,
with ever so much of forlorn ocean and wastes of wind
in their elbowing of the air and in their lamentable call.'

(Rex Warner)

The rather turquoise hue to the water in some of the pictures is due to a particular algae which is affecting some parts of the water, we saw signs warning that contact with it could cause allergic reactions. The next photo particularly shows this colouration and one could be forgiven for thinking I have manipulated it in some way but it is just the result of the algae, I rather like the effect it gives to the photos!



It was interesting to watch (from a hide) this Heron enter the water, it glided stealthily through the water hardly causing a ripple.

'He walks the shallow with an antic grace.
The great feet break the ridges of the sand,
The long eye notes the minnow's hiding place.
His beak is quicker than a human hand'

(Theodore Roethke)

In my next post I will show some more photos from Draycote, until then have a wonderful weekend.