Crepuscular Penrith

Today was a "free" day.. Nothing in particular doing so I thought I'd have a scout down the River Eden. The weather was grey and uninspiring. There were a few ducks and one in particular flying down the river which seemed unusual (to me) but alas too good for me to get a decent shot.
I found a picked clean skeleton of what was a decent salmon as I stalked along the river margins but nothing else of note. As I climbed up from the river bank I realised I had been the one who was being stalked - a pretty angry looking Grey Heron (extra),he probably wanted to resume hunting along the riverbank.
On the way back to the car I met a chap who put me on to Thacka nature reserve in Penrith and so I popped over there for a recon. The small wetland reserve is sandwiched between the main railway line and various industrial estates, peaceful it is not however the birds don't seem to worry about that.
In extras the elegant (apart from the feet) Little Egret was scouting about and a squad of Common Snipe in the reedbeds. Lots of ducks, a Grey Wagtail, Moorhens and a couple of rabbits were spotted as I walked a short circuit of the reserve, I will definitely be back.
Then on the trip back home along Beacon Edge, crepuscular rays burst out towards the lakes in the west, I had to pull over and fall back to a bit of landscape shooting.