A cold walk around Draycote Reservoir. Temperatures dipped to just above freezing but were accompanied by a bitter wind. Met a couple of birders heading for the Visitor Centre cafe and they let me know that heading clockwise would probably allow me to catch greater northern diver, scaup and goosander. 
The common scoter was meant to be around the pontoon outside the Visitor Centre but it wasn't visible from my viewpoint.
Good numbers on birds and quite a few cormorant to eliminate as possible great northern divers. Soon spotted a female pintail foraging on her own. No sign of the GND but while watching a group of goldeneye and goosander caught a glimpse of the scaup. Unfortunately it dived as I pointed it out to a nearby birder and I lost it again.
No GND on the trip round to the valve tower and getting to the point where the sun was dropping quickly so headed back to the Visitor Centre and passed along the footpath in the other direction. In only 100m I found the common scoter, then round the bend, in fading light, I spotted the GND. A successful day!
Sightings (32) included: black-headed gull, carrion crow, chaffinch, common gull, common scoter, coot, cormorant, goldeneye, goldfinch, goosander, great-crested grebe, great northern diver, lapwing, lesser black-backed gull, little egret, little egret, magpie, mallard, meadow pipit, moorhen, pied wagtail, pintail, reed warbler, robin, rook, scaup, starling, teal, tree sparrow, tufted duck, woodpigeon and yellowhammer.
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