Another trip to Draycote Water.

Although there had been a frost overnight it was sunny on Thursday morning so after finishing a few chores I went over to Draycote Water again.

I got there at just before 10.00AM to find a chilly morning but it was bright and pretty calm.Just the weather then that usually finds Draycote Water quiet on the birding front so I was not too hopeful as I set off to the Spit along the Farborough Bank.

It was very quiet as expected but there were 5 Dunlin and a few Linnets on the Spit but that was all.I was then joined by Francoise and we decided to walk back towards the centre where half way along the bank we met up with Richard Mays and Bob Hazell who had seen very little.

Half an hour later as Francoise and I were trying for shots of a Goosander we noticed Bob was racing back along the bank towards us but not before I got a few shots off.

A gasping Bob then told us 6 Whooper Swans had just landed in front of the Inlet and off he went again charging down the path.I am now going to call Bob "Breathless" as nearly every time I speak to him he is racing off to see a bird and he is out of breath.Very nice of him to stop and tell us though.

Well Breathless Bob was very shrewd after he left us because he hijacked a Severn Trent van and was driven round to the Inlet.Francoise and I had to trudge very slowly round there but I was shrewd enough to take a long distance shot from the Sailing club (about a mile away from the Swans).

This turned out to have been a good move because just as we had walked past the picnic area they flew off down the pond southwards.Did I get any decent flight shots? No I didn't far too far away.I did get a Warks Year tick though.