Common Tern catching fish at Frampton Court Lake

It was such a lovely day that we wanted to get out of the valley and we both agreed that a trip to Frampton Court Lake would be idyllic. Helena wanted to listen to an audio book whilst lying on a blanket beside the water. I wanted to stand just beside her with a long lens and a delight in watching the varied bird life.

We both got what we wanted. I however had too much choice to blip. I've chosen this Common Tern which I filmed quite early on our visit, because It was the only time I saw it fly away from a dive into the water whilst actually carrying a small fish.

The light was glorious and sometimes the light breeze stopped and the lake's surface took on a glassy appearance, which gave me great reflections of the surrounding woodland and the islands. For the terns it meant that they could see beneath the surface which made their hunt for fish easier. 

Another delight was watching an oystercatcher flying relentlessly back and forth between one of the islands and the meadow grassland behind us and in front of the big house. There it dug deep for earthworms and once it had a few it flew directly back across to the island just a couple of feet above the water. flying with a constant call it would landing on a tiny 'beach' of the island facing us where its two small young would come scurrying up to it for food.

Other sights were a pair of great crested grebes, thirty swans, a hobby,  many greylag and barnacle geese, some newly arrived swallows and of course a few ducks. There are always only a few people who walk there on the public footpath, which is surprising given how beautiful and accessible it is. But that makes it even more delightful to visit.