A wet evening at North Duffield Carrs. I arrived just after a grey plover had flown off. I found it difficult to see the birds on the far side of the reserve due to the heavy rain.
On the scrape in front of the hide a mute swan was sitting on its nest.
in between the heavy downpours of rain the bird stood up and I could see several eggs.
Visibility improved when the rain stopped and I was able to see the birds at the far side of the reserve. Amongst the mute swans was a black swan and a single whooper swan. Shelduck and greylag geese were also feeding in the distance.
The rain started again and the swan settled down on its nest. A common sandpiper was slowly walking around the edge of the scrape as it looked for food. It was my first sandpiper of the year, tick number 132. A very poor photo.
Closer to the hide a sedge warbler was looking for food in the stems of reeds, another poor photo.