Wader

We set out in a thick fog this morning.  Very cold, damp and with little visibility, it wasn't the best of days for a walk around the park, but we persevered.  The view across the 'Bogwash' was, to say the least, a little restricted.

Further on, the Blackthorn flowers around Swan Lake, are beginning to fill the bare branches with their yellow stamens standing proud of the white petals.  The fog was coating these flowers with drops of dew.

Like small jewels, they shone in the limited amount of light available.

An unexpected sight greeted us as we stood looking out over the water.  A lone Dunlin (Calidris alpina) was seen picking about in the mud around the lake.  A small wader, the Dunlin is a fairly common sight in Britain, especially in Winter when large flocks gather at the coasts, but this far inland, they are not such a common sight.  Hard to spot against the muddy background.