Under Water

We drove South to Carsington Water to get away from the 100% clouds overhead and arrived in sunshine. Sunscreen applied.

It’s a very large reservoir owned by Severn Trent with a large visitor centre shops, restaurants and was very busy.

There is also a Wildlife Centre and bird hides which we visited thought not all were accessible!

The water level is very high and this hide is a now a long way from the edge.

It’s about an hour and 15 minutes drive and somewhere we have not been to for around 20 years so was it worth visiting?
- yes a very pleasant place to be. 
Positive: We spent £20 for a nice lunch for two 
not so Positive £7 for parking for 4 hours or more and paying via a machine or on-line.  I stood and watched a number of people using the machines and eventually found that one of the three took cash. I managed to get it take my 5 pound note at the fourth attempt.

The weather changed in afternoon , very windy and yes back through some heavy rain showers after Buxton and under the clouds again at home.

Bird highlights, Quite a few chicks with parents including Great Crested Grebe.  We saw a Garden Warbler a bird I have difficulty telling apart from a Blackcap and known for hiding deep inside greenery unlike the Blackcap who often sings from a higher branch.

Like most people interested in birds we do use a free smartphone app called Merlin ( created by Cornell University in the USA) to get some idea of whether we are correctly identifying unusual birds.  Merlin listens to the bird calls and songs and lists what it thinks they are. It’s very accurate but not infallible and for example a Song Thrush imitates other birds so well that Merlin thinks they are there.

Merlin did say Kingfisher at one point and to be honest it was probably correct on that was one but we failed to see so we couldn’t add that one to the 37 species we saw or heard.   No Swallows!!!