One of the residents of Stratford Park lake

I went to drop off some documents at the Museum in the Park recording feedback from attendees at the recent Stroud Film Festival. On the walk through Stratford Park I'd noticed that once again one of the pair of swans was sitting on their nest on the small island in the lake. The lake was originally a fish pond fin the grounds of the 'big house', Stratford Court, which was formerly the residence of the clothier who owned Stratford Mill. The mill utilised the water power from the Painswick stream that still runs through the park and is channelled beside the lake.

The small island was made to allow the swans to nest safely, which they do, as foxes and other predators can't swim across to it. Today I noticed several small wooden shelters have been built on the island and there was a female duck in residence in one of them obviously sitting on her eggs.

The male swan was circulating around the lake hoping for food from people walking around the lake. It paddled to the far end of the lake and appeared to be curled up and ready to snooze. 

Then I heard the familiar sound of a swan taking off with its feet paddling fast across the water. It flew a few feet above the water towards the island, which you can just see part of at the top right of the picture, making a big honking noise before it landed just in front of me, only just managing to avoid crashing into the edge of the lake. I didn't have time to set my camera to optimum settings but still managed to catch the landing and its beady eye looking at me.