An osprey at Frampton Court lake

I needed to go to Gloucester to buy various things, including fresh tofu for tonight's dinner (If I go too long without it I get withdrawal symptoms). I also got some cheap fuel for the long car journey to Argyll on Thursday.

I decided to go home via Frampton Court lake as there have been repeated sightings of an osprey there in the last week, and it is a bird I've never seen. Luckily the weather has much improved and there was even some sunshine between the scudding clouds.

I walked to a small promontory  sticking out onto the lake and met a serious bird watcher with binoculars and asked hi for advice about the birds. It is a good place to see them as it is a relatively quiet location and big enough for large numbers of bird to all have enough space to both rest and feed. 

The bird watcher suggested that the osprey was around and I would just have to wait and see and be lucky. Ten minutes after he left 'to go back to work at home', I saw a bird being mobbed by a couple of smaller birds and turned my camera towards them.

I was lucky as it was an osprey and it flew towards me  before turning and veering away. I managed to get a variety of shots of it so I am very pleased

I also saw at least fifteen cormorants perched high up in one of the big trees on an island with several of them coming and going regularly. There were also glimpses of a kingfisher, a merling and a goshawk as well as countless swans, ducks and various gulls. 

I think I must consider getting a lens extender for such conditions as the birds are just a little too far away so that I have to crop heavily which I would rather avoid. I don't think I can afford the other option of a classic bird watcher's l;ong lens, sadly. Perhaps I need to do the lottery.

Time to marinade the tofu and listen to some music.