Grafham Water is only about half-an-hours drive from home for me. I hadn't been there for a few weeks so on Friday 19th, I decided to make a visit.

Sometimes, it as a struggle to shoot anything of real interest and this day proved to be one of them. However, the weather was very sunny so the challenge was to take some interesting shots. First call was a walk up the dam - the bright sunshine really made the drake Teal stand out

and even a Cormorant looked nice!!!

Then a move to the harbour - a couple of pairs of Gadwall were feeding in the harbour.

and with nothing else there, I moved to the hide overlooking Valley Creek. Despite the recent heavy rainfall, the water level was surprisingly low so the tide line was more distant than I would have liked - time to try out the 2x converter on the RF100-500 lens.

A Redshank showed well

and then a surprise - a Common Snipe feeding on the tide line, presumably because it's usual feeding place was frozen over. Rather distant but worth a shot or two as a record for the Cambridge Bird Club website but not for this website.

With nothing else really showing, I called in at Fen Drayton Lakes on my way home - just a juvenile Mute Swan looking good but nothing else.

It was good to be out in the winter sunshine but as for quality photogrpahy - disappointing.