A greylag adjusting its feathers

As the weather had improved during the day I wanted to get out for a walk, so drove over to Court Lake at Frampton on Severn. I was surprised to see the water level higher than I’d ever noticed it before, which reflects the rainy winter and early spring we’ve had. When I reached the areas where I normally observe the bird life on and around the lake, I was surprised to see they were under water so I had to just stand on the bank where the meadow drops down into the water.

It was very peaceful watching and listening with twenty swans, three cormorants, half a dozen mallards, a selection of ten Barnacle and fourteen Greylag geese, a pair of grebes and countless very loud nesting birds hidden on the two islands. I heard before I saw the plaintive
 call of oystercatchers, which I’ve always loved watching, and then saw them fly over me from the island to temporary ponds formed on the meadow in from of the big house. I hoped they would fly back after grazing and watched them intermittently for about an hour as they wandered over the grassland. Eventually they did come back my way and I managed a couple of distant shots as they passed the end of the island one of which I’ve added as an ‘Extra’.

But my Blip has to be of one of the greylag pair, which emerged from the lake and climbed up the bank close to me as I was returning to my car. This bird seemed to be the male of a pair that had been swimming together all afternoon, but now wanted to come onto the grass to feed. As they reached the top of the bank they stretched upwards and flapped their wings to shake water off their feathers.

I’d turned to watch them, as I’ve always found them both amusing and delightful and today I couldn’t resist snapping away as I smiled. They generally seem unafraid of my presence so I’ve often been able to photograph them in family groups as they rear their goslings. That may be some weeks away yet, although there were definite signs of mating rituals, pairing off and squabbles amongst rival birds.