Mallard chick
OK, Common enough sight around most bits of water in the region but a word of warning to those who might have gone Arrrr. Read no further. Today I witnessed another of the harsh realities of Nature. I was minding my own business at Shustoke Res. when I found myself sharing the same newly laid piece of grass as a family of Mallard. Mother Mallard and FOUR ducklings. After a couple of minutes the Ducklings got bored with my company(can you believe it) and headed for the water. I carried on counting Common terns, I reckoned on 25 but there may well have been more. Anyway I became aware of something watching me, unfortunately my camera was not at the ready as a Polecat type creature peered at me 4 feet away. I deduced that in fact the polecat was more interested in the Mallards than me, as the next time I saw the Mallard family they were down to 3 ducklings and keeping well away from the bank. It was a case of dammed if you do and dammed if you dont though as within seconds the Mallards had lost another duckling.This time to a Lesser black backed Gull. How rotten is that. The gull carried the unfortunate ducking out into the centre of the res before killing it and swallowing it whole.
Lesser Black backed Gull
Moving on from Shustoke I popped in to Coton pools but saw nothing 'new'. At Kingsbury Water Park a Hobby was circling over Canal pool and an Eygptian goose was a welcome find on Cliff pool.
Hobby, Kingsbury W.P.
Egyptian goose
Eygptian goose
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