Frosty reservoir

Weston Turville Reservoir was beautiful this morning. It quite literally took my breath away when I walked up the steps and caught my first glimpse of the view across the water. I was there early and it was so calm and peaceful. It was lovely!

It was very cold and frost covered everything like a dusting of icing sugar, making it sparkle in the sunshine.

Frosty bulrushes

Frosty burrs

I love the metalwork around the sluice gate

The water had frozen and the gulls were sat out in the middle of the reservoir in a huddle.

I watched a moorhen walk across the ice, almost from one side to the other. I thought it might slip, but it was very sure footed and didn't seem worried at all by the ice. It had the most enormous feet, not something you usually see so easily when they're in the water.

Look at those huge feet!

I walked all the way around the reservoir and saw lots of birds, including blue tits, great tits, blackbirds, a song thrush and a great spotted woodpecker. I watched a pair of blue tits dash in and out of a small hole in a tree trunk - maybe they were checking it out as a possible nest site. My fingers were much too cold to catch a photo of them ... so here's the hole they were in and out of!

I found a small cup fungus growing on a cut tree trunk in the wooded area. It was frozen solid!

There were also snowdrops just starting to flower. 

And finally, some fabulous bulrushes and reeds...

It's a beautiful place to visit at any time, but a sprinkling of frost and winter sunshine made it feel magical this morning.