An Afternoon Walk at Brogborough

            I had been having problems with my main computer due to password problems, and I badly needed a break, and taking a short trip to the lake at Brogborough was a way to be outside in milky sunshine — it was mild and there was barely a ripple on the lake, sadly though, there were no birds, only a few midges by the bushes.

   I had the LUMIX with me, and not expecting to encounter many exciting subjects for the camera, I did take along some closeup lenses so that I could take shots of Autumn berries and leaves, as I knew these were very likely to be potential images. I had not been walking long before I heard voices beyond the hedgerow, and a couple had decided to take a walk around the lake, and I learned this was their first visit, and we chatted awhile before they walked further round the lake. I tarried by the cluster of brambles, looking for some of the definitive signs of autumn, the reds and russet leaves, and berries.

   I also noted that there were still signs of the overnight dew to be seen, and there some interesting patterns that had formed on some of the webs, so my foresight in bringing some close-lenses proved to be handy, also, I did see a lone bird fly close by, but it did not alight nearby, and was soon simply a passing memory.

   On this side of the lake, mostly the sun was ahead of me so on occasions when there were subjects that were of interest, I used the built in flash, but in many instances, there were gaps that led towards the bank and often even paths to the beaches below, which afforded the opportunity to have the sun over my shoulder and look back towards the path. Only very occasionally did I venture down to the water’s edge, as recent rains had made the banks muddy, and my shoes were not suited to for steep slippery slopes!

   I caught sight of a heron in flight, but on this occasion I had the closeup lens attached, so there was no chance of a shot at that time, but later, another chance occurred, but at a greater distance from me, and those proved to be the last shots I took, and by that time the sun was almost gone, but small though the heron was, at least I had some shots of it to close this gallery.

Early Venue Change — a New Lake

Initially, and fairly early in the day I load the car with camera gear and head for Brogborough Lake, only to find it open, but bereft of any windsurfers! I head for Sam to enquire whether he anticipates many sailors, and learn that he knows of no visitors yet, but has opened just in case any turn up. Whilst we chat a van turns up, but as the driver steps out, he recognises me and hails me with a wave. He is not a Windsurfer, but an Angler, and we have met on other lakes.

After a return wave, I close my conversation with Sam and walk over to him; during the subsequent chat, I enquire whether he knows of opportunities to photograph one of my favourite birds, the kingfisher, and that and the non-appearance of windsurfers led to a change of location — I learned of Willington and it’s lakes, and that there was one area that was preserved for Anglers with entry only by key.

That conversation decided my destination for the day, and with brief directions from Marc on how to reach the lakes, I took a look at a map, set my SatNav and headed off. Close to the end of my directions, I spotted a man walking a dog, so pulled over, got out and asked for directions — the somewhat surprising response was: “You have come upon the Bailliff!” He pointed me in the right direction of the gate, and I drove on as he followed on with his dog going to right and left, rather than heading in one straight line.

This visit was to get some idea of the layout, and just what I might find, and I stopped to chat to another angler, who handily told me where he had spotted  kingfishers which was music to my ears.

Before setting off, I captured various information boards, so I could study these in more detail, having got some idea of the overall layout.