A very muddy walk

The last few days have been really dull and wet so when the sun broke through late morning today I just had to get off and out.  Water levels are very high making some of my usual haunts impossible so I headed over to Chasewater and took a walk right around the perimeter of the lake.  Where the path was not made up it was very wet and muddy but passable with boots on.

There were quite a few people about with dogs or jogging and some enthusiasts were racing yachts around a marked course.  There was plenty of birdlife on the water;  mainly mallard, coot and mute swans until I had nearly completed my circuit when there was first a Great Crested Grebe and then, to my delight, a Great Northern Diver on the water - my first ever sighting of one of these.