The swan armada at Frampton Court lake

We escaped to Frampton Court lake this afternoon for some peaceful recreation. Helena lay reading on a rug in the sun for a while then took to the shade of a willow tree on the bank of the lake close to this scene. I spent all the time standing whilst watching the lake and its wildlife, and the occasional movement of a man standing in a small boat. I think he was paddling about on the water to put out food for the carp which tend to hide in hollows in the gravel bottom of the lake. I gather that it is a rather special place for fisherman trying to catch carp, some of which here are very old and rather large/fat.

I watched cormorants, barnacle geese, coots, terns, blackheaded gulls, wagtails, buzzards, crows and the ubiquitous swans. This bunch were settled on the shoreline at the edge of the lake and suddenly took off in this bunch sprint when a big black labrador came galloping along the footpath. I think the swans have learnt this behaviour from previous interactions with the dog population.

It was a beautiful day and once again this lake provided us with a wonderfully quiet and peaceful couple of hours. We wandered home via the banks of the River Severn at Epney where we indulged in a drink at the pub as we overlooked the incoming tide.