Reservoir

A longer walk for Malcolm and I this morning.  The weather was pretty good and it was dry under foot, so off we went, through Shipley Park in the direction of Mapperley Village.  It has been a while since we had a walk around the reservoir there, so thought it was about time we rectified matters.  Walking through the woodland around Mapperley Reservoir, there was a large Blackthorn tree in full bloom.  Not anything unusual at this time of year, but the amount of flower on this particular tree was almost unbelievable.  In the dim light of the wood, they almost glowed like snow-covered branches.

Looking down, the ground was also worth looking at as the Lesser Celandines (Ranunculus ficaria) were lifting their flowers to the sky in search of the sun.

A treat was awaiting us as we looked out over the water.  While looking for the large fish which glide through the muddy waters at one end of the reservoir, my attention was caught by a small duck on the other side.  Too far away get a good picture, it is nevertheless, able to identify this as a Common Teal (Anas crecca).  The first time I've seen one of these colourful little ducks around these parts.  This was a male bird and was soon joined by his less colourful mate, before flying off in a whir of wings and water.