Mink

It had been a very uneventful afternoon at Bretton when all of a sudden the Ducks and Geese began to scatter in all directions. I looked up to see if there were any birds of prey around but there were none. So I looked at the water and could just make out something dark, swimming in the wake of a now departed family of Mallard, which I believe were his target.

I've seen the Mink on the banks of the lake but never in it, where it shouldn't really have any chance of catching anything. I suspect the Mallards were swimming very close to the far shore when the Mink decided to launch itself at one of the youngsters.

Unfortunately the far side of the lake is out of the reach of my 500mm lens, even with the 1.4x converter attached. But you can just about make out the head and shoulders of the Mink as he swims after the ducks.

Some of the family decided to take refuge on an abandoned Coot's nest.

Panic over. About 10 minutes later they were swimming around as if nothing had happened.

Then I noticed a Cormorant had arrived. Not sure how easy it is to dry your feathers in the rain though!

Birds of Bretton - Part Two

A few more pictures from Bretton Lakes.


This freeloading, sleepy Mute Swan Cygnet was one of 5 born last year to the resident adult pair on the top lake at Bretton. They all survived and were still around until their parents chased them off to be ready for the new breeding season!

Its rare to not have a least one encounter with a Coal Tit during a walk around the reserve.

The Cormorants are always good to watch. A pair have been present for most of the year but I haven't seen them recently.

" 'ere, you should have seen the size of that Trout I caught yesterday "

These female Goosanders were around for most of last winter. I imagine they spend most of the year on nearby rivers before wintering on the lakes. This has always struck me as odd because the lakes are much more prone to freezing over.

Male Goosander

This photo of a Robin taken in front of the hide during a very cold spell of weather last winter. He/she had just been fighting over the food I had put out to attract the birds.

Last but not least is one of the many Grey Herons that are resident at the reserve.