a moorhen count

20.05.08
a clutch of moorhen chicks are being raised near the aquifer,
east of the main bridge across The Mere.
Safety seems assured by the nearby straw rolls
and the netting that holds them together.

However, the herons are after them.

I counted four chicks and witnessed two heron attacks.
All survived, but for how long I wonder?


on the prowl

look carefully and you may just count all four chicks

feeding time

anting

11.05.08
a female blackbird "anting".
This behaviour is part of many a bird species cleaning regime.
An ants nest is upset, the ants attack the perpetrator
with formic acid, this kills mites etc.
A dust bath or wash then finishes the job.

14.05.08
a young heron, something of a regular in the last few weeks.
There is something primeval and fascinating about these birds . . .

Fauna

A heron goes in for the kill! There's been one on duty on the mere for a few days.

I imagine it's all the fish that attract the heron. The mere is teeming with them. Just stand on the bridge for a few seconds and you'll see plenty. They're hard to photograph though!

The butterfly meadow is coming along brilliantly with a variety of butterflies seen across the site. Here's a Speckled Wood.

RESERVE MANAGER’S REPORT March – April 2008

Already, this year, there have been butterflies seen on the perennial Wallflower (Bowles Mauve) in the Butterfly Meadow. The bees seem to love it too.
Lots of small fish have just appeared in the Mere last week – especially noticeable near the main bridge.
The new bird feeding station has proved to be a success. There have been sightings of a female Brambling, Siskins, and two Reed buntings (a first for the Reserve) feeding at the station.
The Water rail is still around. Also there is a pair of Kingfishers about at the moment which hopefully will breed on the Reserve.
Notable flora in bloom include Primrose, Green Alkanet, Ramsons, Violets, Marsh Marigold, Cowslips, Fritillary, Perennial Wallflower and the first Bluebells. The native Daffodils and Snowdrops have finished and Cow Parsley is taking over instead.

Howard

Ducklings

Saw these eight ducklings (funny triangular forms in photo on right) at the weekend near the willow tree in the pond. Today I could only see one chick but maybe it was another batch. But then where are the other ducklings?

And where, BTW, are the kingfishers? I haven't seen them for 2 weeks, whereas for the last few months I'd see them every time I visited the site. Has anyone seen them recently?

posts

08.04.08

it's interesting to see the alternative uses made of the information signs by animals on the site.
Some wild, some less so.

A resident wren often perches on one post in particular,
by the main bridge, meanwhile, two more residents use them as lookout points.


a jay, busy gathering nest material.

Pippin, just one of four cats spotted this day.

an elusive, but noisy chiffchaff on the railway emankment.
No post needed, just leafy cover.

the obliging heron

07.04.08

on the reserve today, poking about on the margins of the main lagoon, occasionally taking flight to go to the opposite bank.

Slowly he got nearer and nearer, with me crossing the bridge to perhaps sneak a closer shot.