I decided to have a day out birding at Abberton Reservoir, somewhere that's been years since my last visit. It's changed a bit.
I went with the wife Sheryl on a grey and murky Sunday with, at times, a little drizzle but it was largely wind free. The birding was actually pretty good for the four hours we were there with the highlights being the showy Goosanders at the Layer de la Haye Causeway sluice (others elsewhere around the reservoir), the drake Ring-necked Duck, the Black-throated Diver, 3 Long-tailed Duck, 12 White-fronted Geese, 3 Scaup, 2 Smew, 7 Great White Egrets, 3 Stonechat and 100+ Goldeneye. However the most usually bird sighting of the day was the Swallow that had been around the causeway for a few days, this being the first of this species I've seen in the UK, most bizarre winter sighting.
Not a bad day out and the images here of the Goosanders, in the low light conditions, were taken with my new camera/lens set up so pretty pleased and perhaps now my back, neck and shoulders will be less painful.
