Thames Nature Notes

Exotic New Arrival

2012-02-12T06:11:00.000-08:00

A wood duck comes for breakfast

We were amazed to spot an unusual pair of ducks that flew in with a group of mandarin ducks. The bitter cold of the previous few days has forced some of the exotic ducks to seek food away from Bushy Park. I've never seen wood ducks in the park before but a pair flew in and joined forces with about 14 mandarin ducks. Our elderly male mandarin, a regular visitor, was most put out to find himself competing for food with a host of younger and stronger newcomers. A pair of coots were even more annoyed and did their best to drive off the newcomers.

A pair of wood ducks

The female wood duck resembles a female mandarin duck and I can't tell the difference between them. Perhaps if I could see both species side by side I'd spot the difference but, then again, perhaps they are identical. I know very little about wood ducks other than the fact that they nest in trees, as do mandarin ducks.

Wood duck flaps his wings

It was minus 6 degrees C last night and I presume the ponds and lakes in Bushy Park may have frozen, judging by the sudden arrival of so many mandarin ducks and the newcomers. The male wood duck showed no sign of shyness and was quite happy to fly onto our deck and compete with the mandarins for food.

A phalanx of mandarin ducks

I counted 6 pairs of mandarin ducks and two spare males, including the elderly, balding and arthritic male who's a regular. They all turned up for breakfast, lunch and supper yesterday and returned again this morning for an early breakfast.

Sunset on the Norfolk Broads

We drove to Norfolk for an 80th birthday party last weekend and hoped to spend time enjoying the scenery. Unfortunately snow stopped play but we did, at least, share this lovely sunset with some very hungry ducks and coots on one of the broads.

Same location, different view

Grey heron shakes its feathers

While we were out on the boat a while back we stopped to watch a heron fly onto the bank near Platts Eyot. It spent a while looking at the river and then decided to preen and shake down its feathers.

Bidou about to call out to some passing mute swans

Bidou still visits most days and has become quite talkative in the last few months. She calls out to us if we don't notice her arrival and 'chats' quite a bit if we hang around to watch her feed. She is still looking for a mate but, as there have been no passing black swans at all over the last couple of years, she seems keen to attract a male mute swan. Apparently she did find a willing partner last Spring but the dominant pair of mute swans drove it away (or killed it). Whenever she sees other swans or hears them fly overhead she lets out the most amazing low trumpeting sound followed by a piercing high pitched call.

Dawn from the warmth of our living room.

I love the winter skies and dawn can be stunning, especially when the weather is cold. The majestic silhouettes of the trees really stand out against the cold, bright skies and it's lovely to see ducks, geese and swans fly overhead.

Male red-crested pochard duck pays us a visit

The pochards have been absent for quite some time but this male turned up for a few hours without a partner. He didn't bother to join the other ducks for lunch but loafed around for a while before heading back to wherever it is he had come from.

Autumn competes with a reluctant winter

2011-12-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

Autumn colours refuse to fade in Richmond Park

A wintry scene in late November in the lovely Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park stopped visitors in their tracks. People paused for a while as they wandered through the gardens to take in the lovely autumnal reflection.

A male tufted duck reflected in the river outside my window

A show of strength

The swans are flexing their wings in a determined effort to establish this stretch of the river as their territory. There seems to be an increase in the number of attacks and counter attacks between the main dominant pairs.

Another successful display of dominance

Every day there are attempts from neighbouring swans to drive off the local dominant swans. Both pairs have one remaining cygnet each and the youngsters are usually driven off by the rival parents. Their own parents are beginning to tire of them, too, and should soon be driving them away permanently. Bidou, the black swan, also enjoys chasing both cygnets! I think she's taking it out on them because their parents always send her packing! Bidou has become very vocal recently and has taken to arriving at first light and 'trumpeting' outside our window to let us know she's here for an early breakfast. We sometimes hear her calling from a distance as she makes her way towards her first port of call for the day - the feeding plank. She's a favourite with most Taggs Islanders - we all wish she would find a mate as she seems so lonely at times.

Sunrise over Hampton Court bridge

Moonrise over trees on Taggs Island

Dave took this lovely image of moonrise on the night of full moon in early December. We've had some cloudless frosty nights and I love to look at the silhouettes of the beautiful trees on the towpath and gaze at the moon and stars in a vast dark sky.

Mistle thrush sings its heart out

We've been wondering which bird was singing so sweetly over the Christmas period. I thought that only robins sung in December but we've been serenaded for days by rival birds. Today we were finally able to identify the songbird and I was surprised to discover that it was a mistle thrush. Dave recorded its song so, if you'd like to hear it for yourself, just click on the arrow above. While we were admiring it a rival turned up and there was quite a battle. I'm not sure which of the two won the skirmish but shortly afterwards the victor was laying claim to the territory.

Swans, heron, deer and the island mink!

2011-10-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Swan shows intruder who is boss

On one of the few cold and misty mornings we've had so far this year I went over to Bushy Park to 'soak up' the atmosphere. Part of Heron Pond was in sunshine as the mist started to burn off and I spotted this swan preparing to attack an intruder.

The intruder decides it is better to 'fight another day'

On this occasion the intruder thought better of taking on his attacker and opted for flight rather than fight.

The dominant cob is determined to make a point

Not satisfied with the intruder's attempt at flight the dominant male tries to pick a fight and chases the other swan in an attempt to engage in battle. A coot hurriedly swims away from the battle front.

In hot pursuit

The intruder puts on a spurt of speed and heads away from the dominant swan's territory with his pursuer gradually losing momentum.

What powerful wings . . .

Meanwhile, away from the fight, another pair of swans glide across the park

The Diana Fountain in early morning mist

Stag in sunlight

As the day warmed up most of the stag 'activity' calmed down and this stag stood unchallenged with his harem close by.

Two young bucks reflected in the Longford River

Doe makes a bid for freedom

This doe managed to sneak away from the harem and headed for the stream. She had only rested there a few minutes when a rival stag spotted her and decided to 'try his luck'!

Not interested!

The doe was underwhelmed by her erstwhile suitor and 'did a runner'. Undeterred he followed her but soon encountered a rival stag on the other side of the water.

Loser . . .

Another loser . . .

Stags with no mates! These two old boys showed signs of battle fatigue. They were obviously just two of the losers in this year's rut.

Tern and its reflection in the Longford River

Heron on the hunt . . . a failed attempt

I watched this heron patiently wade through a stretch of water in search of lunch. During the 15 minutes that I stopped to watch it in action it made many attempts to catch but failed more often than it succeeded. However, I did see it spear and swallow several fish.

Another impressive attempt

Success at last

A little grebe goes unnoticed by most members of the public

Mink on neighbour's deck with supper

The mink has been around quite a bit of late which is bad news for the local waterfowl. Several weeks ago I saw it carrying off a coot and last week I was just too late to save a young female tufted duck. It hides in the shadows of the bank and pounces on unsuspecting wildfowl but it also catches fish. This is the second fish I've seen it take. Shortly after it had carried off the tufted duck I saw it or another mink hiding in an overhang of the riverbank. I knew its habit of swimming round the house in order to access the front deck and had occasionally seen it head along the neighbour's deck towards me before suddenly doing a disappearing act.

Heading for home

For several years a mink has been using the end section of a neighbour's hull as a bolthole. I can usually tell when the beast is about because the ducks and other waterfowl are spooked at any sudden movement. If the mink's on the prowl they fly in panic away from the river bank and head for the middle of the river. Once there they all turn and face in the direction of the mink, watching its every movement. It's a bit of a giveaway! I've sometimes seen it sneak from its bolthole into the river and immediately hide in a recess in the campshedding. In the shadow of the bank the mink is almost invisible with only its bright eyes glinting and the white dot on its chin showing if it raises its head.

The mink has now been evicted from its bolthole and is no doubt looking for somewhere new to rest up, eat and digest its meals in peace!

Autumn in Bushy Park

2011-10-02T03:55:00.000-07:00

Fallow deer resting

It's been incredibly warm for late September/early October - far too warm for much activity in the daytime. This is the time of year when photographers flock to the park to take images of the rut, pictures of stags locking horns. The park echoes to the sound of belling stags trying to impress as many does as possible with a series of deep bellows and rapid grunts, their breath turning to vapour in the cool autumn air. This week the deer are in heat with temperatures to match. Most of the 'action' happens between dusk and dawn but in a normal year, when the weather is cooler, there's still a chance to watch stags lock antlers during the morning and late afternoon, but this year the heat has taken its toll and the deer are lethargic.

Young fallow deer keeps an eye on me

The female deer still have young with them and are very protective at the moment. What with the stags in rut and the does guarding their young now is not the time to get too close to the herds nor to allow dogs to 'worry' the wild deer. In spite of notices posted in many places in the park requesting dog owners to keep their dogs on leads for the time being, I saw only one dog owner abiding by the rules while I was there, putting the deer's welfare before their own gratification. No wonder there have been incidents of stags attacking humans this week.

Young fallow deer heads towards his mother

Hugging the shade

Albino fallow deer

Leaping deer

Red deer proclaiming his prowess

This stag had 'acquired' a good sized harem but was still on the lookout for any stray does he could round up. Earlier I had come across a stag who'd obviously had a rough night and was recovering on his own in the shade. He look very dejected and may well have sustained some injuries over and above the indignity of defeat by a stronger rival.

Fallow doe heading for her herd

Time to make a run for it

You're going the wrong way!

Tender moment between doe and her youngster

I can't believe you're still hungry

Elsewhere in park . . .

Moorhen feeding her chick

Cygnet rescued

2011-09-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

One of our cygnets with fishing tackle

Jack MacDonald called round this morning to say that a cygnet was in the lagoon looking very sorry for itself with fishing tackle dangling from its beak. Philippa had also noticed the cygnet and phoned Peter & Addie who live close by but, as they were away, she called the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton. They immediately responded and Rhonda came by boat to Taggs Island to rescue the cygnet. Armed with bread, wheat, a net and the all important swan hook we were hopeful that the cygnet would soon be caught, freed from the tackle and, hopefully released with only a loss of dignity.

I'm not coming quietly

The cygnet had other ideas and, in spite of everyone's best efforts, managed to escape and fled from the lagoon. Many thanks to Andy, who waded in and almost caught it, to Di who tried to head it off in a dinghy, to Dave and Rhonda who were paddling the pontoon, to Nick who tried to block its escape with his kayak, to Denise who tried to stop its escape with a net and to everyone else who did their best, one way and another, to help out.

Di and Rhonda pull the cygnet into the boat

The cygnet led the rescuers a merry dance and seemed determined not to be caught. I guessed that it might have headed for Duck Ait so I went to Peter & Sue's and we spotted the cygnet on the island with the rest of the family. I called Dave to let him know (thank goodness for mobile phones) and Rhonda & Di came by rescue boat to the tiny island, joined by Dave in our boat and Nick in his kayak. Poor Rhonda, who was already soaked from wading through the lagoon, cautiously approached the swans, picking her way through piles of guano, and almost managed to hook the cygnet but again it evaded her. Once the swan family had taken to the river Di, Dave, Nick and several other kayakers who had joined in with the rescue, encircled the cygnet so that Rhonda was finally able to capture and lift the cygnet.

How undignified!

Once aboard, Rhonda was able to disentangle swathes of fishing line and the hook from the cygnet and then checked it out for any other damage. Fortunately, in spite of the hook and line and its obvious distress at being chased and womanhandled, the cygnet didn't need to be taken back to the Swan Sanctuary for treatment.

I'm off if I can just flap a bit harder

Free at last

There were smiles all round as Rhonda freed the cygnet and it headed straight back to its waiting family. A job well done and congratulations to Rhonda especially and also to Di for her great boat handling. The Swan Sanctuary at Shepperton is a Charity and I'm sure will welcome donations. They not only rescue swans but also ducks and other waterfowl. If you'd like to find out more then you can go to their website < http://www.theswansanctuary.org.uk>.

Gone Fishing

2011-07-31T02:29:00.000-07:00

Young heron beside the pond

We have to give this youngster full marks for persistence. I've lost count of the number of times recently that I've seen him trying to catch the fish in my pond. Twice I've discovered him wading in the pond, he often stands poised at the edge of the pond ready to strike and, occasionally, he uses the roof as an observation post. He's not the least bit afraid of me and I can stand close by and watch his efforts after, that is, I've done my best to ensure that the fish are safe. We think he spends time on our walkway in the early morning too as there's a massive pool of 'poo' in the same spot most days.

Posing for the camera

On Friday he spent about 5 minutes strutting up and down the bog garden pretending to ignore the pond itself. At one point he showed interest in some fish in the shallows of the river and lunged at them. It's a privilege to be close to such a magnificent bird but I'd still prefer that he restricted his fishing forays to the banks of the River Thames!

Portion control

This grebe's eyes were bigger than its belly and, after futile attempts to swallow the fish, the grebe finally gave up. I'm surprised at the size of fish grebes and cormorants do manage to swallow but on this occasion the grebe lost out.

One of many attempts to swallow its catch

Female tufted duck with youngster

It's lovely to see baby tufted ducks and this female arrived with three fluffy youngsters yesterday. We think she had four a few days ago but has lost one. They're such fun to watch as they dive for the wheat we feed them and a joy to hear them chattering quietly to each other in mellifluous tones.

A tale mainly of mandarin ducks and grebes

2011-07-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

Mandarin duck with her two youngsters

It's been a very good year for mandarin ducks. The two pictured above have grown up but we now have another mum with one junior. The pair spend most of the time relaxing on our deck under the table and chairs. The youngster is very fond of spiders and flies and does some of the outside 'housework' for me on a regular basis by cleaning up the spiders' webs.

Watch the baby grebes being fed while sitting on one of the parents' backs

New kids on the block

A family of four young grebes spent much of their time around here but there was a bit of a battle recently and the newcomers have taken over this stretch. They have three young babies and it's great to see them feeding and looking after their young. Dave watched as they had a 'shift' change yesterday. One of the parents shrugged the reluctant babies off its back and they were accepted by the other parent while the first grebe went off to fish.

While we were out in the boat yesterday evening we were upset to see what was probably one of the four older grebes lying dead by the weir stream. It was in the strangest position, resting on the beam of the weir stream, with its head leaning down towards the water.

Grebe with two youngsters on her back and one trailing behind

Baby grebes hitching a ride

Young heron checking out our pond

A young heron has been doing its best to catch the fish in our pond. I've seen it in the garden and, on one occasion I actually spotted it in the pond. The fish were traumatised for several weeks but have survived. Every so often, the heron comes back to try again and I do my best to deter it as there are plenty of fish in the river. Our fish are much more wary than they used to be though and we don't get to watch them swimming around and having fun like they used to. At least the mink hasn't checked out the pond for an easy snack.

The annual RHS Hampton Court Flower Show took place last week and below are a few images of the gardens and the floral displays.

Control the Uncontrollable

It's been quite a while since I've had time to write this blog and in the meantime our intrepid mallard HB is back in the hanging basket and well on her way to hatching about 8 eggs. Since the mink still passes by occasionally it's good to know she's safe where she is.

The dominant swan now has five large cygnets and the family drifts by daily for wheat treats. There was another pair of swans with several cygnets but the dominant male kept attacking the family and, in the end, all the cygnets were drowned and the parents driven off.

A pair of coots are nesting in the transom of a neighbour's boat and she hasn't been able to use the boat for a month! Luckily for her friends have taken her out or lent them their boats. She is now, vicariously, the proud 'mother' of at least one baby coot and a few more should hatch shortly.

There has been a massive increase in the number of Egyptian geese and the Canada geese population has also increased and is, some would say, far too large for this stretch of the river.

Upstream from us by Garrick's Ait we've noticed a family of four tufted ducks and a family of two red-crested pochards. Bidou, the black swan, is still single and this year we haven't seen any other black swans in the area for her to choose from.

Mink are back

2011-05-31T00:32:00.000-07:00

Beautiful but deadly

Mink are back on the island and have been on a killing spree. Coots and ducklings have been taken by the stealthy predator and one islander's chickens were all attacked and killed. Fourteen years ago mink used the hold of our houseboat as a larder but I was sometimes able to rescue ducks from the mink's jaws before it had a chance to kill them. The mink had a habit of taking the ducks by their beaks and dragging them underwater when they came to feed. If I happened to see or hear the 'attack' I was sometimes able grab the duck by its legs and the mink would then release it. One of the three mink I used to see in those days was bold enough to regularly attack swans too!

Mink carrying off a fish

Four days ago I watched a mink swim across from the Molesey bank with a fish in its jaws. I guessed there must be a mink around as the swans and ducks were showing signs of distress and seemed extra alert to danger. When I went out to watch the mink it swam towards me but then headed towards the upstream end of the island. It sometimes runs along next door's deck and disappears into their hold and I recently spotted it running through my garden.

Male mandarin duck's favourite 'look out' post

A female mandarin duck with two youngsters started to use one of our riverside nesting boxes as a temporary nest for her ducklings during the day and sometimes at night. Last week a female with three youngsters appeared and another female mandarin kept trying to approach the ducklings. One of the ducklings seemed confused and appeared to want to be with the second female but the other mother kept driving her off. We never saw the mother with two again but suddenly there was a mother with three! We're wondering whether she 'kidnapped' the other duckling because it always seemed slightly apart from the family unit and was never able to keep up with mum and the other two youngsters. For several days the mother would turn up with two ducklings and then a third one would appear much later. We guessed that its chances weren't good and sure enough it hasn't been around for four days now. The crow was always swooping down on the youngsters and, of course, there's at least one mink on the hunt. At least the female mandarin is keeping a close watch over her two ducklings and they are getting quite feisty now and are chasing away other ducks away.

Baby grebe polishes off lunch

The great-crested grebe pair had two youngsters but one disappeared and, while we were away, the other one vanished. Fortunately I was able to take a few images of the parents with one of the babies. In the image (above) the baby is in the process of swallowing quite a large fish for its size.

Baby grebe hitching a ride on Mum's back

Baby grebe waiting for the other parent to provide lunch

Female woodpecker at feeding station

There must be two pairs of woodpeckers visiting the garden. The other day I watched a female feed from the nearby peanuts and then suddenly freeze. A male woodpecker flew onto my summerhouse roof and then over to the other peanut feeder without appearing to notice the female. She carefully shifted her position so as to remain hidden behind the feeder she was on while the male fed from the other feeding station. The female seemed scared to make a move in case she was spotted and only continued feeding after the male had flown off.

One of the woodpeckers has taken to drinking from our pond. It seems strange to see a woodpecker at ground level but this one manages to grip the stones at the edge of the pond and hang down over the pond to drink. It's fascinating to watch how the bird has found a safe way to satisfy its thirst.

Bidou flares her wings in a gesture of aggression at a mute swan

These lovely ducklings only lasted three days

The attrition rate for baby waterfowl (other than Canada geese) is very high again this year and, so far, the baby coots, grebes, moorhens, mallards and pochard ducks have all disappeared. Only the two mandarin ducklings are still around and yesterday I saw six newly hatched pochard ducklings but I wonder whether any will survive. The cygnets have fared better although at least one has vanished, either killed by a rower or taken by a predator.

Female blackbird with nesting material

Several weeks ago the blackbird visited the garden to gather nesting material. She loves grubbing around in the bog garden and also finds material for the nest from the edge of the pond. I took this image of her through my kitchen window.

Bath time for the blackbird

It was great fun to watch her bath every day. She would spend about three or four minutes splashing around in the shallow waters of the cascade. This was another grab shot through the kitchen window as I didn't want to disturb her.

The original six cygnets

HB's ducklings are launched . . . with a little help from Dave!

2011-04-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

More territorial battles

The dominant swans are somewhat preoccupied while the pen (the female) sits on her eggs so the male is less active on this stretch of the river. His absence has allowed a variety of non-breeding swans to venture into his territory and, when he does catch them out, he does his best to see them off but with a little less determination than previously.

Another day another chase!

HB gasps in the untypical heat of April

It's been so hot and sunny here this month (hotter than many destinations in southern Europe) and HB has been suffering from lack of moisture as she sits all day on her nest. She seemed so distressed recently that we sprayed her with very fine water droplets to cool her slightly and provide her with some moisture.

The ducklings appear

HB was getting very restless last Wednesday evening and we noticed that she was sitting very high in her nest so we guessed the ducklings were hatching. Sure enough we could just make out a couple through the base of the nest and hear their tiny high-pitched calls.

Seven ducklings wait for mum's invitation to jump!

HB was driven off her nest at around 9.30am on Maundy Thursday and was attacked by at least 5 rogue males. We managed to rescue her/chase off her attackers from the middle of the river but she kept being chased and had to fly off for a while. This gave us the opportunity to check on the ducklings which remained calm in their nest.

After a while she was able to return to the nest and spent the best part of 30 minutes preening her feathers and settling down again. She waited until all the males had grown bored and given up waiting for her to come off the nest again and then she sneaked off and called for her ducklings to follow. Unfortunately they seemed reluctant to leave the safety of the nest and she became frantic so Dave lifted down the hanging basket and helped to launch the ducklings.

Proud mum swims off with her seven

Surprisingly, after the morning's difficulties, the randy males left her and the ducklings alone and she was able to join up with her partner and spend a leisurely day swimming around in the area close to us. The next morning she still had seven ducklings and we were hopeful that she might keep at least two or three alive from this batch but it wasn't to be. The following day there were none. We can only assume that they were taken by either pike, heron, a herring gull, a crow or the mink. So far we've seen 21 ducklings and none have survived.

On the subject of the mink, it's been spotted all around the island and Gareth has just called round to say that he and Dan had just seen it. Yesterday we saw it running along Inca's deck before disappearing into their 'hold' again.

Double tulip

I bought some spring bulbs for the garden and had forgotten what varieties I'd planted so I was pleasantly surprised by these soft pink double tulips. The garden looked particularly lovely while they were in flower.

Smudge shows his 'good' side for the camera

We've been visited by an aberrant blue tit for weeks now whose face is normal on one side and disfigured on the other. He also has a large expanse of black feathers on his stomach which should be all yellow. I think he must be blind on the disfigured side because of the strange way in which he feeds.

Smudge's strange disfigurement

What surprised us was how well he seemed to be able to defend himself against other blue tits as we thought he would soon fall prey to more dominant birds. He must have been with us for at least 2 months but I haven't seen him around of late. I have, however, seen a neighbour's cat hiding under our acer tree by the pond on a regular basis!

Mrs. Mandy waits her turn for supper

We must have at least 5 pairs of mandarin ducks and a few spare males calling for supper each day! On this particular occasion two males escorted her and perched on the top deck railings with her. Eventually one got bored with waiting and dozed off in one of my plant troughs instead.

Two pairs of red-crested pochards also drop by every evening. They don't get on at all well with the mandarin ducks. Last night I was upset to see that one of the female pochards had a badly injured leg. I don't know if it was broken but she couldn't stand upright on the plank. She did, however, manage to put up a good fight when a mallard tried to 'share' her food. I'm hoping it was only a bad strain and that she'll be a bit better this evening.

Nature . . . red in tooth and claw

2011-03-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

Intruders beware!

Our dominant mute swans are nesting in the lagoon and the male is showing no mercy to any intruders in his territory. Pictured above is a fight downstream last week and today we nearly had to rescue a swan that the dominant male was trying to drown. It was too weak to fly away and attempted, instead, to climb out onto the bank but it got stuck between some shrubs with part of its body still vulnerable and the other swan tried to drag it back into the river. We had just set off in our boat to rescue it when it made one final effort to free itself and managed to crawl onto the towpath. Meanwhile, another mute swan was swimming downstream and distracted the male which turned his attention to the other intruder. We watched as the exhausted swan on the towpath waddled as far away from the river as it could, flopping down in the grass for regular rests. We were worried that it would be attacked by a dog but it managed about an hour's rest before the dominant swan decided to hunt it down on land. As soon as the beaten swan saw the aggressor approach at speed it tried to run then thought better of it and finally managed to take off and escape. So determined was the dominant mute to see off its rival that after returning to the river it flew back onto the towpath half an hour later to make sure that its rival had really gone.

Bidou's sanctuary

Bidou, meanwhile, continues to make herself scarce and is often to be found at the far end of Platts Eyot. Yesterday evening we saw her with a young mute swan so it would seem that she continues to favour mute swans over her own Ozzie kind! She occasionally sneaks down here for some wheat but is instantly chased away by the dominant mute if he's around.

Garricks Ait in the early evening

The weather has been lovely recently and we've enjoyed a few boat trips, partly to see what Bidou is up to. The river is particularly attractive towards the end of the day when the light is low and golden.

HB is back!

Madam is back again this year in her favourite spot, a hanging basket right outside our patio doors. She appeared on the deck last week and kept looking at me and then up to the spot where her previous nest, a hanging basket, had been. We'd removed it for the winter but she left me in no doubt as to her wishes. Dave thought I was imagining it but when I gave in and hung up a basket she flew straight into it. Unfortunately I hadn't been able to find her old basket and the replacement one was rather small. She soon poked her beak through its lining too, so Dave repaired it for her but she didn't think much of the substitute lining and ripped it out. She was also having a problem with the basket's small size and I realized that it would never accommodate both her and 12 - 14 eggs. She was showing signs of desperation so I searched around for a larger, more stable hanging basket and, within two minutes of putting that one in place for her she had taken up residence. Two hours later she had produced her first egg.

HB settles in

It's a very safe place to nest because neither the fox nor the mink can reach her and she's partly under cover from the house which means that magpies and crows can't steal her eggs. We have to walk past her every time we want to use our day boat but she has obviously got used to us now since she hardly bothers to look up when we pass under her nest.

Sunset over Hurst Park

A couple of weeks ago we had some colourful sunsets. The sky looks so lovely through the bare branches of the trees. Now that the clocks have been moved forward the days are longer and the sunsets gradually move round towards the other side of the island by mid June.

Magnificent Magnolia

The tree outside our garden has grown so much over the years and it blooms at least twice most years though the second display of flowers is never as stunning.

Black Cap . . . with a red head!

We've had a pair of Black Caps in the garden since February but the male, which does have a black cap, has disappeared, probably caught by one of the many island cats. The female, pictured above, spends most of her time in the garden but is on her own now so she probably won't breed this year. Much as I love cats I resent the harm they do to so many garden birds. On the subject of predators, however, the most lethal one on four legs is back on Taggs Island. The vicious North American mink has been spotted at both ends of the island and I've seen him at close quarters twice now in the past few days, running from next door's garden through ours and making his way towards the upstream end of the island. It's very bad news for most water birds.

Beauty and the obese

2011-02-22T01:11:00.000-08:00

Watery sunrise over Molesey Lock

February has been a pretty bleak month with many days of grey, overcast skies. Occasionally there's a hint of sunshine in the morning or late afternoon but we've had very few bright days. On sunny mornings and evenings, though, the lengthening days herald the arrival of Spring.

Red-crested Pochard

Two pairs of red-crested pochards and a extra male have been turning up at mealtimes recently. In spite of the generally overcast skies the view from my living room downstream to Hampton Court is quite colourful when the pochards, the mandarin ducks, the black swan and the sundry other waterfowl come to visit. Whereas the mandarin ducks fly up onto the deck outside for their 'wheat treats', the pochards feed only from the platforms at the front and side of the house. They are usually much less aggressive than many of the mallards and hybrid ducks but they hang around for as long as it takes for them to be fed. At present two pairs of mandarin ducks and a 'spare' male visit daily.

Female Great Spotted Woodpecker

Both the male and female woodpeckers feed daily from their favourite location. Occasionally, if too many parakeets are on their preferred feeder they will fly to the more exposed peanuts but, generally speaking, the woodpeckers 'see off' the parakeets!

The Blackcaps are now regulars, spending most of the day in the garden and, once in a while, one or two nuthatches show up.

Male Tufted Duck

The tufted ducks are very used to us now and spend most of the day hanging around. They dive for the wheat that spills from the main feeding stations but often get mobbed by 'pirate' gulls when they join in the general feeding frenzies as people on the towpath throw bread out for the ducks. One of the local crows, however, outwits and intimidates even the gulls and often swoops off with bread crusts.

Is this an obese Blue Tit or is it just fluffed up against the cold?

We noticed a particularly fat blue tit in the garden and it hung around for several days, snacking from the window feeder, sitting inside the bird table or kipping on a branch of the magnolia tree. We weren't sure whether it had fluffed its feathers up against the cold or whether it was unwell. It either fed or slept during the day and couldn't be asked to open its eyes once it went into sleep mode. It allowed me to get so close to it that I wondered whether it might be ill and so, not wishing to distress it, after that I kept my distance. It was able to fly well and there was nothing wrong with its appetite, so maybe it was just feeling the cold!

Blue Tit on my bird table

When I first noticed it I approached the bird table and took this image of it. I was surprised that the bird seemed unruffled by my presence and, although it looked up at me it soon put its beak back under its wing.

Bidou has an early morning stretch

If Bidou times her visits well she gets plenty to eat and is able to feed in peace and undisturbed by the dominant pair of mute swans. She likes to hang around after breakfast and preen and be generally sociable. When she's ready to move on she nearly always emits a series of trumpeting calls before heading upstream. She also calls out every time she hears swans flying overhead.

Same wildlife different location

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Female Pochard

While staying with friends at Hill Head, on the Solent, we strolled down to the lovely harbour with its adjoining nature reserve. Two of the first waterbirds we spotted were a female pochard (above) and a little grebe (below). Back home on the Thames we are regularly visited by a pair of red-crested pochards but seldom see 'regular' pochards.

A little grebe heads towards the reeds

At the mouth of the harbour, where the river Meon meets the Solent, we spotted a pair of little grebes, a pair of pochards, plenty of tufted ducks, gulls, coots, moorhens and, of course, mallards. The light was so lovely and refelcted the colour of the reeds in the water when I took this shot.

A little grebe intent on fishing

I watched for ages as the little grebes dived for very small fish, taking time out to preen their feathers on a regular basis. I was so pleased to be able to watch this pair at leisure as they were more habituated to humans than the pair I've spotted around Taggs Island.

Disappearing act

It's fun to watch them dive for fish. Their success rate isn't great if what they bring to the surface is all they get. They may be like cormorants, however, which swallow the smaller fish while still underwater.

Fulvous whistling duck

A rather handsome and unusual looking duck caught my friend's eye and it seemed to be arousing interest among some birdwatchers, so we asked them what it was. A fulvous whistling duck, was the reply, and I gather we were quite lucky to have seen it. They are not native to the UK, but this one seems to have settled in the area for a while.

The fulvous whistling duck has lovely matching beak and feet

The light wasn't very good when we discovered the fulvous whistling duck but, as it was low tide, we were fortunate enough to see it both in and out of the water. I went down to the haven the following morning when the light was fabulous but the tide was in and the duck was nowhere in sight. However, as I turned my attention to some swans having a territorial dispute, I heard a strange whistling call and was thrilled to see the duck fly past me and land in some reeds beyond. I could just make it out amongst the reeds in the distance and was able to watch it preen for a while but the reeds prevented me for getting a decent image.

Territorial battles

Just as our local swans on the Thames are defending their territory from intruders, so the dominant pair at Titchfield Haven were busy seeing off the opposition. I could hear the familiar slap of wings and feet on water during take-off and landing and also the lovely 'whistling' sound of the wind in their wings during flight as the fleeing pair left the haven and headed out to sea.

He who fights and 'flies' away . . . !

On this occasion one of the swans under attack took the line of least resistance and flew to safety but I'm sure there will be plenty of battles in the coming breeding season.

A tree sparrow sunbathes in the chill morning air

It was a beautiful bright morning the following day, still very cold but the light was fabulous, so I visited the Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve. Next to the Visitor Centre is a café and garden with plenty of bird feeders around to keep the local birds well supplied during the cold spell. The tree sparrow (above) enjoyed some early morning sunshine after a frosty night while helping himself to some pyrocantha berries .

Tide's out

Low tide is lovely here leaving interesting patterns in the sand. Some of the rock pools also attract wading birds to the shoreline. We saw plenty of turnstones on the shore next to the harbour.

Back home on the Thames, the dominant swans are still patrolling their territory and chasing Bidou, the black swan, away. I'm delighted to see that the pair of little grebes still visit daily although they are far from habituated to humans and dive at the slightest of movements. In the garden, a pair of black caps now visit the bird table and peanut feeders and, even more exciting, a pair of nuthatches came to the most secluded on our peanut feeders this week. I'm hoping to get images of the black caps and nuthatches in the coming weeks.

Blue Tits and grey days

2011-01-23T10:14:00.001-08:00

Blue Tit in garden

At certain times of the day the garden is full of blue tits and great tits making the most of the various feeding stations. They love sunflower hearts and are also keen on the food I put out for robins. In fact the robins often chase them away from 'their' feeding station. We also see a coal tit from time to time as well as the gregarious long tailed tits. We've nicknamed one of our blue tits "smudge" because his belly is mostly inky rather than yellow - far darker than the soft yellow belly of a typical blue tit.

One of the few lovely sunrises in the last couple of weeks

We haven't had many colourful sunrises recently so this was one to enjoy. I've been lucky enough to have lived in many different parts of the world and I do miss bright skies and sunny weather but I equally love England with its seasonal variations. When I lived in the Far East and parts of the Mediterranean sunrises and sunsets could be spectacular but I really missed the subtle changes in season and the sights, sounds and smells of the different seasons.

Aggression between swans

This is a grainy action image taken in low light but I hope I've captured the mood. The dominant swan isn't happy to find an intruder in his patch. Last week he attacked Bidou, the black swan, and I was able to fend him off for a while, having heard her distress calls, but the hostilities continued further upstream. She lived to tell the tale, as you'll see from her image below. I do hope she won't be drowned by him when territorial battles increase in the spring.

Bidou preens herself after a leisurely breakfast

Bidou now visits ahead of the dominant mute swans which means that she is fed without hassle or interruption. If I haven't seen her arrive she soon lets me know of her presence by emitting a mournful call on a regular basis. At night, if I hear her call, I then have to locate her in the dark. Fortunately her red beak is something of a giveaway.

Breakfast time for a cormorant

A pair of cormorants fish here daily and aren't starving by the looks of them. I watched this one swallow more than three bite-sized fish within five minutes. Most of the water birds appear uneasy when the cormorant gets too close to them - the little grebes completely freak out. A cormorant surfaced right next to a little grebe today and the tiny bird took off with fright.

A pair of little grebes

We've had a fair amount of the wet stuff of late so the river is flowing at some speed. Whether the strength of the current affects the little grebes or not, I can't say, but I haven't seen one for a few days. I was therefore delighted to see a pair of them swimming downstream today - in spite of their size they must be sturdy swimmers!

A pair of Little Grebes brighten up the gloom of the past few days

2011-01-07T01:40:00.000-08:00

Robins are possibly our tamest garden birds

The other day I wandered up the island to see if I could spot a nuthatch that's been visiting gardens in the lagoon. I did catch sight of it as it flew away from a bird feeder with a whole peanut in its beak but it then flew off, probably back to Bushy Park. Instead this robin posed for me so my trip wasn't completely wasted. I shall make an effort over the next few weeks to get an image of the nuthatch as they are colourful visitors to our gardens.

One of a pair of dabchicks

On Boxing Day a friend mentioned that she'd seen a tiny 'duckling sized' water bird. She said she had thrown out some bread for it but that it had dived and disappeared so I guessed it was probably a little grebe, commonly known as a dabchick. The next day I spotted one on the far side of the river and for a few days it turned up between 8.00am and 10.00am, diving for fish along the Molesey bank. Occasionally it would risk crossing over to our side and I was lucky enough to catch a few glimpses of it as it swam past. Dabchicks are very shy birds and usually dive at the first sign of movement so I didn't dare open the French windows but decided to at least take some grab shots through the glass if the opportunity arose.

A second dabchick appeared for several days

After several days of watching and waiting I spotted a pair of dabchicks swimming across the river. They appear to have felt more secure than normal as they mingled with the tufted ducks, mallards, mandarin ducks and coots. Perhaps they felt there was safety in numbers? They hung around for several days but I've seen neither of them today.

Torrential rain might be a deterrent as the water drops falling from the branches of overhanging trees opposite are almost as big as the dabchicks themselves! I've often noticed how 'rain averse' ducks can be during persistent downpours. They all swim over to the far bank and shelter under the overhanging vegetation.

Dabchick refuses to be intimidated by Lonely

I could hardly believe my eyes yesterday when I watched the dabchick clamber on to the plank of one of the duck nesting boxes. Grebes in general are superb at swimming and diving but are ungainly on land as their legs are set well back on their bodies. This little one clambered onto the plank but soon slid down as it was wet and slippery. Undeterred it climbed back on and edged its way sideways quite some way up the ramp. Then it lay down and spent the next ten minutes preening. I saw it pull out a loose feather and swallow it - they sometimes do this as an aid to digestion. After a while, Lonely wandered up the plank as she considers this to be her nesting box and I watched with bated breath as the dabchick edged as close to the entrance to the nest box as possible, then turned and faced down Lonely. She seemed rather bemused at the lack of respect from such a tiny creature and, after staring at the dabchick for several minutes she turned and jumped off the plank.

I nearly missed a dental appointment because I couldn't drag myself away from such unexpected behaviour. It was delightful enough to be able to watch a little grebe at close quarters, albeit through the bedroom window, but to see it investigate the nest box and then watch it preen just six feet away was very special - a ten minutes well spent!

The river had begun to freeze over last week

Last week I was beginning to believe that the river would freeze over again. The lagoon had been frozen and the river itself was beginning to ice up but now heavy rain has been falling with only occasional spots of sleet/snow from time to time.

Friday, 12.00 midday, minutes after publishing this blog, the rain stopped and two dabchicks swam past the window when I was least expecting them!

Merry Christmas from a snowy river Thames

2010-12-25T01:23:00.000-08:00

Kingfisher on our mooring bar

The lagoon has been frozen for much of the past week and, as a consequence, a kingfisher has been visiting our stretch of river in search of sustenance. Our pond is something of a magnet at the moment because the two Shibunkins are far from dormant and are proving too much of a temptation. Last year we lost five of the six fish and presumed they'd been taken either by a heron or a kingfisher (or both). We've since been told that the culprit may have been a grass snake! We saw one swimming away from our river bank across the river during the summer so that is another possibility.

I was hoping to grab a few more shots of this magnificent bird (through the kitchen window) but someone's cat had other ideas and scared it away. I'll have to hope that it returns and stays for a little longer another time. Whenever I've caught a glimpse of a kingfisher in the past it takes flight the moment it spots movement.

A view of Hurst Park from Garrick's Villa

While Dave and I were visiting Colin last week there was a blizzard and, for a while, we couldn't see across the river to Hurst Park. After lunch, however, the sky brightened and Colin showed us the magnificent views from upstairs.

Hampton Court Palace gardens

The snow really did lie deep and crisp and even during the week and the Palace was obliged to close the gardens to the public. I work at the Palace on Mondays and was therefore able to take this shot from King Williams Apartments, looking down over the Privy Garden.

Another view of Hampton Court Palace gardens

Early morning in the freezing cold

The big freeze lasted long enough for the river to start icing over. I had to break the ice in the stretch of water between our houseboat and the riverbank so that the ducks and swans could reach their feeding station. Only one duck had used his initiative and must have flown round to be fed. He was standing on the ice waiting for his breakfast! Even the main river had chunks of thin ice forming in places. It reminded me of New Year's Day in the year 2000 when the river froze solid and remained unnavigable for almost 10 days in spite of the efforts of the Environment Agency's ice-breaker.

Male Pochard in the early morning light

On one of the few really sunny mornings the beautiful early morning light enhanced the plumage of the various ducks, geese and swans. There was an amazing mix of wildfowl including eight mandarin ducks, a pair of pochards, a widgeon, all the usual suspects and Bidou, the black swan, whose feathers were encrusted with ice particles. She looked quite stunning as the sun glinted

off her frozen back.

The lagoon was partly frozen over last Sunday

A parakeet waiting its turn on the peanut feeder

The garden birds have been particularly hungry during the cold spell and more are taking advantage of the bird feeders to stave off hunger. When it comes to pecking order the parakeets have their own but they all defer to the woodpecker. I've seen some interesting fights between both breeds and the woodpecker always wins.

Birds, beasts, a bunny and trees

2010-11-26T00:20:00.000-08:00

Mute swan spots a rival upstream

The mute swans, who took over the dominant role this autumn, seem to have been effective in driving away rival swans and we seldom see 'intruders' in the area. They aren't happy with Bidou the black swan but are less aggressive with her than with rival mute swans. Poor Bidou spends much of her time alone and we hear her forlorn high-pitch calls as she announces her presence to all and sundry. When she's in full voice she starts with a deep booming grunt culminating in a shrill high-pitched trumpeting call. When we haven't noticed her and she wants to draw our attention to the fact that she's waiting to be fed she limits the call to a more gentle, mid-pitched sound, loud enough to let us know she's around but not full volume.

Male tufted duck grooming

The tufted ducks used to be so shy when we came back to the UK in 1995 after living overseas for quite some years. As soon as the 'tufties' spotted movement in the house they would swim out to the middle of the river. I never saw one use our feeding platform. Now, many of them are so habituated to the feeding environment that they fly up at me when I go out to feed them. When the river is clear it's amazing to watch them dive, swimming some distance underwater for the wheat seem to enjoy so much. They also 'haul out' on our feeding platform to groom sometimes, which is lovely to watch. They have the most adorable way of communicating with each other and we often hear them chattering away to each other when the river is quiet.

Tufted duck gives a quick flap of his wings after grooming

Male 'tufties' have striking, beady eyes

Autumn colours in Bushy Park

Only a couple of weeks ago the trees in Bushy Park were ablaze with colour but the recent strong winds and bitterly cold weather has taken its toll and many of the trees are now almost bare.

Wild rabbit in one of the woodland gardens

Hunched up against the cold this rabbit appeared reluctant to move when I approached it. I stopped at what I considered to be a 'non-threatening' distance from it and observed it for a couple of minutes before moving on.

The Diana Fountain

After what seemed like an age the Diana Fountain was restored to its former beauty some time back and is a stunning central feature of Bushy Park. Here, it's pictured from the side with a backdrop of autumn foliage.

Red deer

I came across this stag while taking a short-cut through the bracken in the park. The rut was almost over and most of the stag activity had subsided. I hadn't noticed him as I trudged through the deep bracken and was somewhat surprised when he raised his head and gazed at me with bored eyes.

Misty and mellow scenes on the river

2010-10-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Mute swan in early morning mist

We've had some fabulous morning mists and late autumn sunshine to brighten the days as the nights draw in and daylight hours decrease. Temperatures fluctuate considerably with sharp frosts some mornings and warm, balmy days at other times. The leaves are changing colour dramatically, now, and Bushy Park is ablaze with colour. The (deer) rut is almost over but I watched two young roe bucks lock antlers in earnest today while a third one accompanied their action with a series of grunts.

Rowers launch their skiffs at Molesey Boat Club

Mute swan sets off after Bidou

The dominant mute swans are still patrolling this stretch vigorously and do not tolerate Bidou's presence. The male always drives her away but she bides her time and sneaks back after they've moved on. At least I haven't seen them fly after her which they do when they spot another mute swan in the area.

Mallard drake in all his glory

The drakes have all regained their definitive plumage, as have the mandarin ducks, but the grebes remain in eclipse for the winter. There's a huge amount of 'whistle/grunt' activity going on among the mallards as they continue to pair off. It never fails to make me smile.

Bright-eyed, young male tufted duck

Coot poses for a picture

A pair of aggressive coots frequent our feeding station and beat up most of the other waterbirds. The other day a pair of great crested grebes tried to 'haul out' on the same wide platform but the coots would have none of it and saw them off. When they do get the platform to themselves it's amazing to see the grebes standing (almost) upright. They're ungainly on land but they seem to like using our plank to relax on and for grooming.

This swan would fight his own shadow if he didn't have an interloper to see off!

Race day at Hampton Sailing Club

It's a colourful sight when all the sailing dinghy's are out in fine weather. Above is a picture of the race from a distance with Hampton Church in the background, downstream towards Molesely Lock.

Organised chaos as the dinghies negotiate the marker buoys

Female mallard with straw on her beak

This female has been showing a great deal of interest in both duck nesting boxes. I watch her and her partner waddle up and down the planks to the two boxes, apparently trying to decide which box will be best when Spring comes. Meanwhile Lonely, who likes to think she owns one of the boxes, shows enormous disapproval when any other female looks into 'her' box.

Lonely keeps a watchful eye on her 'preferred' nesting box

Male pochard

We hadn't seen the pochards for ages and then one day they suddenly appeared, stayed for several hours, then disappeared again. I haven't seen them since. We have had two young mandarin ducks hanging around in the chilly weather and I think they were last year's babies as they weren't the least nervous when I went outside to feed them. They were made most unwelcome by the regular pair of mandarin ducks, though, and I haven't seen them now for at least a week.

New kids on the block

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Bidou's lonely

Bidou keeps calling out and we think she must be lonely as she now has no 'surrogate' family to tag along with. The family of mute swans appears to have been ousted from their territory by a pair of younger swans. It's been upsetting to watch the newcomers chase and attack the cygnets - we've managed to protect them a couple of times but don't always see the attacks happen. The cygnets can't fly yet so we do hope they are OK. Equally, we haven't seen either of the parents. We were called out to help one of them about 10 days ago - it had hidden behind a houseboat close to the weir and was finding it difficult to squeeze through the gap between the boat and freedom. The new swans aren't keen on having Bidou tag along with them so she's without friends at the moment.

Female mallard

Most of this year's ducklings are fully grown and starting to find a partner. Some of the drakes are still in partial eclipse but you can see their plumage beginning to change. At certain times of the day they all congregate in the middle of the river and 'check out' the talent, so there's plenty of 'showing off' by the males and 'beaking off' by the females. The drakes collectively emit a high pitched whistle while raising their heads and chests, then immediately make a deep grunting sound as they do the reverse and raise their tails. As the tails rise up they all stretch out their necks close to the water and swim manically around. Females who've already selected a partner 'beak off' at the hopeful drakes, quacking in a disapproving way, their beaks pointing at the rejected males while swimming away from them with the partner(s) of their choice.

A strange juxtaposition

I caught a glimpse of a swan with what seemed like unusual markings but when it approached I saw that it had a dark feather stuck to its white plumage.

The 'ugly duckling' is turning into a beautiful swan

Until recently, when the new arrivals started to patrol this stretch of the river, our family of mute swans were still together. Occasionally, the male cygnet would turn up ahead of the rest. The female always stayed with mum. Above you can see the male's plumage starting to change. The female, who was considerably smaller and much more friendly, had no white plumage showing.

Close-up of the male cygnet's wing feathers

Posing for the camera

I should imagine that the male cygnet was close to receiving flying lessons from mum and dad but we haven't had the joy of watching his first attempts as we've seen no sign of any of the family. I haven't been out in the boat recently but tomorrow we hope to have a look for them. There's a large 'non-breeding' flock of swans at Kingston, so perhaps our family have headed downstream.

The last image I took of the family

The two fat ladies

These lovely old girls have survived the season and turn up regularly for a helping of wheat. They like to be hand-fed once they've eaten a little from the communal plank - they're very well behaved and never fight each other. We know when they're around because they quack extremely loudly and we get no peace. As soon as the wheat hits the plank the decibel levels return to normal.

I've been in Sines, Portugal at its World Music Festival

2010-08-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when I disappear to Portugal for FMM Sines, the World Music Festival which is an annual event in the lovely town of Sines. Thames Nature Notes will return to normal soon!

Statue of Vasco da Gama next to the castle in Sines

Vasco da Gama was born in Sines and his statue overlooks the harbour, next to the old castle where he was born. Sines is an attractive coastal town half way between Lisbon and The Algarve. Every year the town holds a music festival celebrating world music, an impressive and friendly event in spectacular surroundings. Portugal hasn't been immune to the global recession and the festival, previously a 10-day event, was reduced to 5 days this year. The concerts were staged in two venues, one inside the castle walls and the other down by the beach.

One of the lovely sandy beaches near Sines

There are excellent beaches along this whole coastline which include vast stretches of white sand and areas with rock pools and coves. This part of the coastline between Sines and Porto Covo is close to one of my favourite beach-side restaurants, Trinca Espinhas.

Sines beach and the temporary stage which is set up for the festival

Early evening and late night concerts are held at the beach stage where the atmosphere is friendly and fun. Along the promenade there are stalls selling local food and drinks at sensible prices. Visitors can also find plenty of market stalls selling clothing, jewellery and other ethnic items.

Sines harbour

Nat King Cole En Espagnol

David Murray was one of the excellent artistes appearing on stage at the castle on the first night of the festival.

Daniel Melingo

Daniel Melingo was guest vocalist for three of the numbers performed by Nat King Cole En Espagnol.

Allyssa Lamb

Las Rubias del Norte is a seven piece combo fronted by two classically trained singers, Allyssa Lamb and Emily Hurst. The purity of their voices is ethereal, incorporating classical harmonies set to a latin beat.

Taylor Bergren-Crisman

Bass player, Taylor, on stage with Las Rubias del Norte.

Wimme

Wimme Saari, a Sámi joik singer from Finland, uses a traditional chant style with elements in common with Native American music. The combination of the band's use of instruments and Wimme's joik vocals produce elemental and haunting sounds.

Tapani Rinne

Tapani on clarinet is from the Finnish experimental band RinneRadio.

Yasmin Levy

Yasmin's distinctive and passionate voice combines Ladino and Flamenco cultures with her own unique blend of middle eastern words and sounds, "a musical reconciliation of history" as she puts it. Her voice is hypnotic, seductive and deeply emotional.

Yasmin and some of the band

Janick Martin

Janick played diatonic accordion with the Jacky Molard Quartet & Founé Diarra Trio during the Sines festival.

Founé Diarra Trio

Tom Greenhalgh and Jon Langford

The Mekons are a British Punk band, formed in the late 70's by a group of Leeds University art students. Eight members of the band were on stage in Sines.

Dorothée Hannequin

French vocalist and guitarist Dorothée taught herself to play the acoustic guitar in her mid-teens but only started to sing several years later.

The Rodeo's Jean Thevenin

Dan Kaufman

Guitarist Dan Kaufman with the band Barbez together combine such sounds as French musette, Argentine tango, post-war classical and pre-MTV punk.

Barbez's Pamelia Kurstin plays the theremin

Peter Hess, also with Barbez

Barbez

Sa Dingding

Colourful folk singer/songwriter Sa Dingding was born in Inner Mongolia. Her songs were originally influenced by the music of ethnic minorities which she encountered while living with her grandmother in her formative years.

Keyboard player with Sa Dingding

Lead singer with Tinariwen

Tinariwen is a band of musicians from the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali. Their sound has its roots in West African music with a hint of 'the blues', though members of the band say they hadn't heard American blues music until they began touring on the European circuit.

Tinariwen

Tinariwen

Tinariwen

Lole Montoya

Lole Montoya, formerly part of Spanish musical duo Lole y Manuel, composed and performed innovative flamenco music in the vanguard of new flamenco. Perhaps influenced by her Algerian born mother, Lola's lovely voice combines traditional Spanish flamenco with Arabic rhythms and styles.

Guitarist with Lole Montoya

Kahiné Kuyaté from the Cheick Tidiane Seck band

On stage at Sines the Cheick Tidiane Seck band performed traditional and popular Malian music from the Manding-speaking region of West Africa.

Members of the Cheick Tidiane Seck band

Yéyé Kanté from the Cheick Tidiane Seck band

Fireworks as the band Staff Benda Bilili perform on stage at Sines Castle

Fireworks to celebrate the last night of the festival

Thousands of delighted fans enjoyed not only the eclectic mix of World Music but also the colourful spectacle of fireworks during Staff Benda Bilili's stage performance at Sines Castle.

The mystery of the duck eggs

2010-07-18T02:50:00.000-07:00

We've had a number of surprises in the last few weeks, not the least being the appearance of a grass snake in the river. We saw unusual movement in the water while we were having lunch and spotted a grass snake swimming away from the direction of the coots' nest. We're unsure as to whether or not it took one of the eggs but the coots' eggs seem to have disappeared. The snake was later spotted by another islander who followed it in his boat until it disappeared behind the hull of Riverdream.

We are also intrigued as to which species of duck is the phantom egg layer in one of our riverside nesting boxes. There has been one egg in one of the boxes for a few weeks now and then one appeared in the other box. Meanwhile the young mandarin ducks were using the second box as a night time resting place. Last week there was a second egg in the box and then a third. We were away on Friday but returned to find a fourth egg in the box on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, the lone egg in the other box has disappeared. We still don't know which duck is nesting there. We've seen a tufted duck hanging around and occasionally wandering up into the box but there are also a number of mallards in the vicinity at present. The coot also uses the ramp to the box regularly and I've seen it climb up into the nest box. As the coot was responsible for removing all the straw bedding from both boxes to line its own nest, the box is now empty apart from a few dark downy feathers. To complicate matters further the crow has been showing interest in the boxes, too, and may have raided the box of its one egg. Alternatively, perhaps the grass snake took it?

Young tufted duck

A young tufted duck has been hanging around for the last few days. Yesterday it spent several hours sleeping on our plank and, though it is a little nervous, it seems to know that it will be safe on the plank. The coots, mallards and mandarin ducks keep chasing it away but it just dives out of harms way before they can peck it and then resurfaces and comes back when things have quietened down.

We had another surprise this week when Lonely turned up with three sizeable ducklings. She'd been coming for supper every day and I thought she might be nesting again but she's been smarter than that. She has obviously decided to keep her ducklings away from this part of the river until they are big enough to stand a chance against the many predators. Other ducks are also turning up with two and three week old ducklings. I've noticed at least three sets of mothers hanging around Garrick's Ait which is obviously a much safer environment for the young. We saw some young tufted ducks there recently and think that the youngster pictured above may be one of her brood. There was also a mallard with five babies who, now that her young are too large for the average predator, brings the kids down here for snacks.

Great crested grebe

The grebes are still around but most of the territorial fighting has stopped. It's amazing to see the size of some of the fish they manage to swallow - they must have huge necks and throats. On the subject of huge we saw an enormous carp leap clear of the water right in front of us the other day and I saw a repeat performance a couple of days ago. It isn't often that we see such large fish leap clean out of the water on the Thames but, when we lived in Belize, we often saw tarpon leaping and manta rays flying through the air.

Waterlily in my pond

My first flower of the season opened for a few days during the hot weather last week. There's another one on the way but, in the meantime, the watercress is taking over most of the pond and I shall have to harvest it today or there'll be no flow over the cascade. It's delicious in salads so we'll enjoy it for lunch.

Young mandarins with mum

This is a shot of the young mandarins several weeks ago. They are now almost indistinguishable from their mum and one of them is showing signs of independence. They are a little bit more wary of us now, which is probably a good thing as they are, after all, wild birds. Several other mandarin ducks turn up at the same time as the family but are driven off by mum and the youngsters. I can't tell whether either are males mandarins in moult or other females. There's no doubt as to the pecking order - mum and the kids rule the roost!

Mandarin ducks, grebes and damselflies

2010-06-18T02:39:00.000-07:00

Mandarin duck enjoying the setting sun

Mandarin duck having an evening preen

The mandarin ducks arrive for their evening feed at around 7.30pm and then use our dinghy for a relaxing preen. This one looked particularly fine in the evening light. Our female mandarin with the four youngsters appears to be a single parent although I suspect that her partner is the male that's in moult and has already lost his fine feathers.

One of the young mandarin ducks at the nest box entrance

It's been a trying time for the mandarin duck family. The mother was using one of the nest boxes at night to keep her young safe but the fox disturbed them one night and now she and the kids only come to the nest boxes during the day as a temporary resting spot. One of the youngsters is slower to learn than its siblings and the mother has had to keep an eye on it while, at the same time, accompanying the other three who always come to the patio doors to be fed. Dave made a little plank for the 'slow' one but it still didn't know how to climb out onto our deck. We've had many a worrying moment when mum has swam off with her three and the other duckling has been nowhere in sight. The less agile duckling would always go to one of the nest boxes and wait for the rest of the family to finish feeding which was sensible, at least. Finally, however, it discovered how to hop up onto our deck and we were relieved that mum no longer had to divide her attention between them all. Two days ago, though, we heard the sound of a distressed mandarin duck and later guessed that one of her youngsters must have been injured. Mum hung around the nest box with all four of them for ages and we didn't see them leave that evening. The next day she appeared with only three ducklings, which was most upsetting.

I half hoped that the fourth one would turn up unexpectedly but mum called round regularly with only three youngsters and we gave up on the fourth one. Last night, however, a lone mandarin duckling turned up to be fed and this morning Mum was back with all four, so we can only assume that the injured one was kept somewhere safe until it had had a chance to recover. Sadly, one of its leg is badly damaged but otherwise it seems to be feeding well and can keep up with the others. We hope that it will eventually heal as we've seen this happen with injured mallards.

Mandarin amongst the flowers

This particular female mandarin loves sitting in my flower pot while she waits for me to put food out. If I don't respond quickly enough she flies onto the garden table right next to the patio doors and stares in at me to make me feel guilty.

Mum resting on the deck in the sunlight

Mum with three of the kids after feeding

Great crested grebe stretching

The other morning the grebes started courting, growling to each other, raising their crests, while the male presented the female with muddy weed. The pair of them rose out of the water and almost rubbing chests together in a courtship dance. Unfortunately it was very early in the morning and the light was dull and grey so it wasn't possible to get good images of their behaviour but it was wonderful to watch. After about an hour, they suddenly turned aggressive because another grebe was in 'their' territory. Several vicious battles ensued but most of the chasing was done underwater.

Grebe attacking an intruder

The fighting was intermittent but lasted about half an hour until territories had been established. At one point they were beating their wings against each other but then they would slide beneath the water and surface over on the far side of the river.

Grebe displaying aggression

Every so often one of the grebes would flare its wings and make itself look large and threatening to the intruder. It was superb to watch and proved quite effective at making the intruder think twice before advancing into enemy territory.

Grebe searching for fleeing intruder

Damselfly at pond

I'm not sure whether this is a damselfly or a dragonfly but I think it's the former. If anyone knows otherwise please let me know. We've noticed a number of damselflies in the garden and one regularly rests on this stem in our pond.

Damselflies mating on fruit tree in garden

Damselflies mating

Cygnets, mandarin babies and grebes

2010-06-06T08:48:00.001-07:00

Swan with four cygnets

Our swans finally produced seven cygnets and brought them round regularly to feed. Bidou, the black swan, kept them company when she was allowed to but the mute swans didn't tolerate her getting too close to their young. After several days the adults turned up with fewer and fewer cygnets and now the pen is left with only two. At least these two are growing rapidly and are now less likely to be taken by the pike, herring gull, crow or heron. They still hitch a ride on her back but I don't think that that will continue for many more days.

Cygnets choose the easy option

Two male mandarin ducks enjoy the late afternoon sun

There are at least four male mandarin ducks that loaf around without partners at the moment. Whenever pairs of mandarins arrive the females seem most put out by the advances of the 'spare' boys. We have an unusual situation in that one female mandarin has five babies and she wants nothing to do with any male duck. We think her mate is the male who is already in moult and looks quite sorry for himself in his decidedly faded finery.

The female is really good at defending her young, who are quite feisty too, and we have the pleasure of watching her and her youngsters using one of our nesting boxes as a safe nocturnal haven. It's really strange to see her shepherding her young up the plank to bed every evening. We had noticed her checking out both boxes a while back but, as mandarin ducks nest in trees we thought we'd never see them use our boxes. The strange thing is that this female kept checking it out even when there was one of Lonely's eggs in it.

Unusually, a female tufted duck has taken to checking out both nest boxes and went and looked inside box 1 when the 'mandy' family were inside! The female tufty then went into the other nest box (2) and spent ages moving the straw around before coming out again.

What makes things more confusing is that the mandy and her young used the other box,(box 1) early yesterday evening but the kids were restless and not ready for bed so they all swam off. Later, the kids came back and went into box 1 again and mum panicked when she found her usual box (2) empty. Finally she rounded them all up and they spent the night back in box 2, initially sitting with all five ducklings outside on the plank and later moving them inside for extra protection. Some idiot woke us up at 3.00am this morning speeding up and down the river and I noticed that Mrs. mandy was standing guard outside the box until the disturbance stopped.

This morning we found an egg inside box 1 and we don't know whether it was laid by the tufted duck or another mallard. No doubt time will tell and we'll know whether the box is about to be occupied again.

Mrs. mandy and one of her ducklings on the ramp to box 1

Young grebe swallowing huge fish

I couldn't believe the size of the fish this young grebe managed to swallow. Mind you it spent at least 5 minutes fighting with it and I thought it would give up! When it finally gulped down the main body the grebe opened its beak and I could just see the tail disappearing down its throat.

Only a little more to swallow

Adult grebe swimming over to one of its young with a small fish

The parents have taken responsibility for a youngster each and spend much of the time looking after the one they're in charge of. The kids keep them really busy and it's exhausting just watching them feed their demanding youngsters. The kids never seem to stop squealing for food.

Baby long tailed tit recovering after flying into a window

I was watering plants on the garden deck one morning this week when I spotted what looked like a dead bird on the deck. When I went over to pick it up it was still warm and it opened its eyes. It gripped my fingers really hard so I held it safely for a while and then, when it showed signs of recovering, I placed it on the plum tree and it rested there for a minute or two before flying over to the Molesey side of the river. We think it must have flown into one of our windows and stunned itself and I was delighted to see it recover. It was so delicate and so very beautiful.

Mallards at the pond

The ducks are taking advantage of our good nature and regularly foraging in the garden pond. Unfortunately they seem to like the taste o the water lily leaves but at least they leave the watercress alone. I'm hoping they'll allow the water lily to flower this year!

Peonies and white irises

The irises are magnificent this year but are being outshone by the fabulous scented peonies that I planted last year. The garden looks very lush at the moment but the irises fade all too soon.

HB launches ducklings . . . with a little help

2010-05-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

HB returns to her nest

HB normally only left her nest after dark but, on one of the warmer days, she made an exception and grabbed a quick meal and 'comfort' break. In spite of our original doubts as to the suitability of her choosing in hanging basket next to our patio doors as her nest, the site proved to be a perfect choice once she'd got used to our comings and goings. Occasionally we would forget that she was there and suddenly become aware of a pair of unblinking brown eyes staring at us.

HB's ducklings after hatching on the night before their 'launch'

Once all (or at least most of) the eggs have hatched the mother keeps them warm and waits for the right moment to lead them from the nest.This usually happens during the morning, sometimes as early as 5.00am, sometimes as late as 11.30am, although there may well be exceptions to this.

HB gets ready to 'fly the coup'

We knew HB 's ducklings were hatching on the day before their 'launch' because she was sitting higher and higher in the hanging basket. If she'd had many more ducklings they wouldn't have all fitted in! At around 9.30am the next day the ducklings were ready to go and HB showed signs of needing to leave the nest. For about thirty minutes she became active and anxious, clucking quietly to the 12 ducklings filling the nest.

Ready to start a new life

For a several minutes the ducklings stayed put showing some reluctance to take the plunge. HB became frantic and her clucking became more and more imperative and strident.

Some seem more hesitant about leaving the safety of their nest

It didn't take long for the more eager ducklings to 'take flight'. Others needed more encouragement and by this time HB was kicking up a huge fuss in her efforts to hurry them up.

With a little help . . .

Two of the ducklings waiting in the river for their siblings to join them drifted off downstream on their own and HB was unable to chase after them because she needed to stay with the rest of the brood in the river and encourage the others in the nest to join her. She became so distressed that Dave decided to give her a helping hand by placing the remaining ducklings in the river. One chose to leap but the others were gently placed in the water. HB immediately gathered them around her and chased after the other two. She finally corralled all 12 of them and headed off upstream after a quick feed. We haven't seen her since and can only hope she led the ducklings to a safer environment.

Swans still fight over territory

The dominant swan is often absent on this stretch of the river and while he's away other swans take turns to 'play' boss. Bidou, the black swan, also believes it's her duty to drive away rival swans so we sometimes have four or five swans jostling for a position of power. It's not dissimilar to the power play that has been UK politics over the past few weeks!

Magpie shelters from torrential downpour

Last Sunday I watched a cheeky magpie seek shelter from the pouring rain. He tore some leaves from the grapevine in order to provide himself with a more comfortable perch, and sat there for over an hour.

Lonely male Mandarin duck

At least three pairs of Mandarin ducks visit at feeding time and another four 'spare' males hang around for much of the day. This one has taken to sitting on our deck or on the boat cover. The males are stunning to look at and their courtship displays are impressive. The sounds they make to attract a female, however, are rather less so . . . something between a grunt and a person swallowing a belch!

Here today . . .

2010-04-26T00:24:00.001-07:00

Coot on Lonely's ramp

I doubt whether Lonely liked the coot using her plank as a place to preen when it came off its nest, but the coot's presence was advantageous in one way. While it 'stood guard' on the plank no other ducks dared attack Lonely. However, I saw a most unusual sight one evening while Lonely was off her nest and the coot was absent. I noticed a male mandarin duck standing on the plank and then, to my amazement, saw its mate come out from inside Lonely's box. What on earth she was doing entering another duck's nest is beyond my comprehension.

When Lonely's mate wasn't around she was sometimes dragged off her nest by one of the 'waiters'. Below you can see her swimming back to her nest with her mate.

On the days immediately preceding the hatching of the ducklings, Lonely's mate stood guard on the plank most of the time. While she and her mate were away feeding on Thursday evening, we peeked inside her box and counted five ducklings and some eggs still to hatch, so we knew the ducklings would emerge on the following day. Lonely had been excellent at protecting her nest so we had high hopes that she would be a good mother. How wrong can one be? At around lunchtime on Friday, after many failed attempts to lure her ducklings from the safety of their nest box, Lonely eventually coaxed one out.

Duckling at nest entrance

The duckling swam around with Mum for a few moments and then Lonely left it to go back into the nest and urge the others to make a break for it. Fortunately the baby found its way back up the plank and waited.

Lonely with two ducklings

There were nine ducklings in all but only one other emerged from the box. The rest refused to budge and, after about 10 minutes of calling to them Lonely seemed to get bored. She and her mate swam upstream with the two ducklings, leaving the rest in the box.

Lonely with four

About three hours later Lonely returned minus the ducklings and coaxed out four more ducklings. We hoped that she had left the other two in a safe place but she showed no signs of going back upstream. She then swam off with the four, leaving three more in the box. While she was hanging around she was attacked by four 'waiters' and I had to chase them off. By this time the ducklings were scattered and I feared that the coot would attack them. Lonely did return and collect them and that was the last we saw of them!

By late afternoon, I heard a duckling in distress and Dave managed to catch it in a net so that we could return it to the box. Just as we were about to do so, Lonely returned and we just had time to put back the duckling before she went into the nest box. She now had just three ducklings and when they finally emerged and swam round to the back with her we weren't hopeful that they would survive. I think Lonely was attacked again and flew off and we never saw the ducklings again. She returned to her nest to check whether there were any left but, basically, all nine had disappeared in the space of a day and a half. Ironically, Lonely has started inspecting the neighbouring nest box, no doubt for a second attempt at rearing young!

Our duck in a basket however, is getting more used to us being around. Below you can see her preparing to head back to her nest in the hanging basket.

Fox claims another victim

2010-04-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

HB insists on nesting in the hanging basket

A fox climbed the narrow steps onto Wotnot's top deck and killed a mallard in the small hours of Thursday morning. The duck had been sitting on eggs for more than two weeks. Claudia was woken up by unusual sounds and went to investigate. To her amazement the fox had managed to lift the lid on the nesting box and, sadly, Claudia was just too late to save the duck. Caught in the act, the fox jumped from the top deck when Claudia went to see what was causing the disturbance.

Dave undertook the distressing task of dealing with the aftermath as both Claudia and I were too upset. It would seem that the fox or several foxes had been busy that night as a Canada goose had also been killed in Linda & Lisa's garden and we heard that a female mallard's body was removed from inside another islander's dinghy. This was worrying news, especially when HB failed to show up all morning. Usually, we would see her with her mate on the other side of the river and she would turn up for a quick feed around 11.00am, but there was no sign of either of them all morning. Dave and I assumed the worst and were feeling quite down, but she surprised us both by turning up at 2.30pm for a late start. Perhaps, because of the warmer weather, she didn't feel the need to start sitting so early?

As you can see from the picture of HB (above) she has chosen an unusual spot for a nest. In spite of the fact that this hanging basket is just outside our patio doors which are in frequent use, HB obviously knows a thing or two about keeping out of harm's way. I think she'll be pretty safe from the fox, even if it climbs on to the garden deck, and she's also less prone to attack from rogue drakes. From our viewpoint she makes it difficult for us to use our boat without disturbing her but at least she is getting used to our opening and closing the door right next to her. We'll just have to learn to live with each other. When we thought she'd been another victim of marauding drakes and had drowned, we were really sad.

Lonely heads back to her nest box

Every morning at around 4.15am one of 'the waiters' tries to attack Lonely in her nest box and we hear the sound of her taking flight from the box. Fortunately, this doesn't happen much during the day so she is able to sit on her eggs undisturbed for hours at a time. Yesterday, though, she was attacked at around 9am and she took the opportunity to feed and have a 'wash and brush up' before returning to the nest.

An unusual symbiotic relationship has evolved between her and the coots. They frequently used her plank to 'haul out' on for a preen after coming off their nest and stand guard at the base of her 'gangplank '. I watched with amusement last night as one of the coots saw off three rogue males which were attempting to attack Lonely in her box. It just stood its ground and 'swore' at the three drakes until they gave up and swam away!

Male tufted duck takes a drink

Most of the tufted ducks have gone their separate ways for the breeding season but several pairs still visit us every day. This one, and its mate (pictured below) have both shown signs of interest in the second nesting box on the river.

Female tufted duck

I was surprised to see this female emerging from the second nesting box by the river the other day. The box seems to intrigue quite a few of the waterfowl including the Mandarin ducks, the coots and the tufted ducks. The only ones not to have investigated it are the Pochards.

Bumble bee collecting pollen

On the first really warm day this month I watched a bee making the most of the sunshine as it flew around gathering pollen. We've had quite a few of these beautiful creatures in the garden recently.

Blackbird waits his turn to bathe in the pond

The other day we watched a Blackbird try to use his favourite spot in the pond for a bath. Unfortunately for him a drake had other ideas and wouldn't let the Blackbird anywhere near the cascade. After several attempts, the bird flew to one side and waited patiently for the drake to go. He then flew straight to his 'safe' place and had a wonderful bath.

Worth the wait

It was worth the wait for all of us. The Blackbird had a good long bath and we spent an enjoyable few minutes watching events unfold.

The chases continue

There seem to be three pairs of mute swans around at the moment. This would suggest to me that the dominant pair are losing 'respect'. UPH and her partner are gentle swans and don't really pose a threat but the other pair are quite fierce and may well challenge our resident swans for the territory next year.

Bidou's nest was raided last week, presumably by a fox. One of her eggs was found on the road, some way from the island in the lagoon where she has been nesting and another eggs had rolled down to the water's edge. As her eggs are much larger than a duck's eggs we assume the egg must have been carried away by a fox. Certainly a Magpie would not have been able to carry off such a large egg.

Chrissy phoned to ask what to do as she was worried that a fox would kill Bidou. She was thinking of netting off the area to try and protect the black swan but in the end the decision was taken away from her by Bidou herself who decided to abandon the nest. We're sad that, yet again, Bidou is without both a mate and a nest, but at least she's safe. I've missed having her around so it's nice to see her here on a regular basis.

Male Pochard arriving for a quick snack

The male Pochard visits us quite frequently but we only see the female for breakfast, lunch (sometimes) and dinner. She is nesting somewhere on Garrick's Ait and is very secretive. Last year she was seen with ducklings but they only survived a few days before predators took them.

Magnolia in bloom

On the first warm day last week my magnolia finally opened its buds and is now in full bloom. It looks so lovely next to the pond and is sweet scented, too.

Ducks everywhere

2010-03-28T02:16:00.000-07:00

Female mallard flees advances from rogue males

There's a flurry of activity in the garden every evening between 5.30 - 7.00pm as hungry female ducks arrive with their partners for supper after sitting for hours on their nests. The mallards aren't the only arrivals, though, as we now have two pairs of mandarin ducks accompanied by a spare male, a pair of pochards with a spare male, the two fat ladies and their unruly mob of hybrid ducks, two pairs of mute swans, and two pairs of warring coots.

The pecking order has nothing to do with size, either. One pair of mandarin ducks reigns supreme, successfully seeing off every other duck from the feeding platform. Only the coots occasionally challenge them. The pochards don't get a look in.

Meanwhile, the more timid ducks await their turns on either our summer house roof or our neighbours' roofs. It's easier to feed some of them in a bowl in the garden which speeds up the process and causes fewer fights.

Bidou, meanwhile, is sitting on at least two eggs and is being thoroughly spoiled by the lagoon householders, so we rarely see her here now. For the past two years her eggs have been infertile, possibly because she's mating with a mute swan. Once again her mate is a mute swan so we have doubts as to whether the eggs will be fertile. What the cygnets might look like, should the eggs prove fertile, is anybody's guess.

So far we still have no takers for the upstairs nesting box but a mallard has been investigating a hanging basket by the patio doors and covering the deck below with earth and dead plant material. This morning I watched her fly on to the basket but when she saw me sitting at the computer she flew off again.

Great crested grebes

It seems only a week or so ago that the grebes were in their drab winter plumage but all of a sudden they are sporting courtship colours and their crests are most impressive. The male mandarin ducks are also looking particularly striking at present.

Dave has just told me that the grebes in the lagoon have had their nest, with one egg, raided. Coots attack the grebes' nest every year, turf out any eggs and claim the nest for themselves. Alternatively, it's possible that a crow or magpie stole the egg. I saw a crow perch on the side of our dinghy during the week, edging towards Lonely's nest. We're not sure whether it would dare risk entering the nest box because of its size but we've seen magpies raid our nest boxes on a regular basis. The crow is so clever it has learned to land in the river to grab pieces of bread when people are feeding the ducks. It's more of a 'touch and go' but it still stops in the water for a moment, rather than just skimming the surface.

Female mallard in sunlight

In spite of their uniform colour, female mallards are quite lovely to look at when you study the patterns on their feathers and beaks. Their colours vary tremendously, as do their personalities. One mallard is so trusting that she flies down the greet me and runs right up to me. Another, pretends to be afraid and opens her beak to 'swear' at me to keep my distance. Some ducks are pale and thin, while others are glossy brown and well padded. Their beaks are also quite different, some almost black, others mottled and some quite pale. I've noticed, too, that the line that 'highlights' their eyes, which is typically black, can also be very pale. Goldeneye, my long term resident until the fox got her last year, had a definitive 'blonde' streak around her eyes.

We have always assumed that a fox took Goldeneye but Annie, downstream from us, has said she's seen a mink around. That's really bad news for the wildlife, especially coots, moorhens and tufted ducks. We've suffered the results of their killing sprees in the past, which have included attacks on swans, ducks, and the smaller waterfowl. One mink wiped out an entire coot family and it was heartbreaking to hear the parents' desperate cries as they tried to defend their youngsters.

Lonely approaching her nest

Lonely is sitting on her eggs full time now so I seldom see her except on the rare occasions when she is driven from the nest by the rogue male 'waiters'. They are brown hybrid ducks with white chests that hang out together and attack any female that enters their orbit. Mr. Speckles, one of the guilty 'waiters', encouraged his mates to 'gang up' on his own partner last year, and is now without a mate but just as badly behaved. Poor Mrs. Speckles was attacked so often last year that she lost many of her feathers and was partly bald down her neck and back. Often, when one of 'the waiters' dragged her off her nest, her eggs were damaged. Also, because she was dragged off so often and 'gang raped' she took a long time to recover from near drowning and in her absence a magpie would steal her eggs. In the end she drowned following yet another attack from her errant partner and his mates.

I'm pleased to see that Lonely's mate is far more diligent and aggressive at protecting his partner. He keeps a close eye on the nest box and drives off 'the waiters' when they attempt to attack Lonely. Occasionally she is driven off the nest at first light but for the most part she has been allowed to sit on her eggs in peace.

Lonely's first egg

This is Lonely's first egg, laid on March 1st. Her nest is now full of eggs and is covered with a combination of straw and her downy feathers. Every so often we see her poke her head out of the box but she is fairly secretive. Her mate spends a lot of time idling in front of the nest and muttering away to her. When he gets fed up he hauls out on our neighbour Patrick's deck and rests there where he can still keep guard over Lonely.

Mute swan chasing off a rival

The dominant mute is still chasing away intruders but we see less of him at the moment. He's probably with his mate on the other side of the island where she is nesting. This gives UPH and her partner a chance to sneak in and grab some food.

What surprised me on this occasion was that the dominant mute ignored the younger swan which still has some brown feathers and is therefore one of last summer's cygnets. Typically, the parents see off their own youngsters when they are old enough. Perhaps dad decided to give his offspring a chance because this is the second time that he has chosen not to drive the youngster away.

The pochards call by for a late breakfast

I presume that the pochards are nesting again on Garrick's Ait this year. They arrive every morning, lunch time and evening for their 'wheat treat' and then drift upstream again. The 'spare' male turns up quite often but isn't encouraged to linger.

While I've been writing this a female mallard has just flown back onto the hanging basket but was once again spooked by movement in the house. We don't mind her using it as a nest but she'll have to get used to us or it will never work! She's back on the basket again and is chucking earth on to the deck with gay abandon. We'll have an egg in there by lunch time so I guess I'll have to cover it up with some straw to hide it from magpies and crows. Unless, of course, she is spooked by our movements and decides to nest elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the upstream coot has decided to use Lonely's gangplank as a haul out and grooming spot. I don't suppose Lonely is too impressed by having to share her property with an aggressive coot.

Lonely lays her first egg

2010-03-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

Male tufted duck taking a nap

We've had mixed weather again, plenty of grey days but sunshine at times too. The temperatures have been on the chilly side still, but the wildlife has decided that Spring is definitely here. The grebes have regained their glorious 'courtship' plumage and the mandarin ducks are looking their best.

Lonely, the little hybrid duck with dark feathers and a white chest, has decided to use the nesting box at riverside level. On March 1st she laid her first egg and now has at least 10. I just went to check in the box but she's already sitting so I shan't disturb her. To keep her safe from the fox Dave has placed a barrier at the corner of the walkway which should prevent it from trotting round to the nest boxes. Having lost Goldeneye to the fox last year we don't want Lonely to meet the same fate.

Mute swan flies away to avoid attack from rival

The dominant mute swans are patrolling their territory very aggressively at the moment. It's amazing to watch the power in their wings as they take off. Yesterday I watched one swan almost brought down in flight by it's attacker. Fortunately it just managed to surge ahead at the last minute.

Rowers on a grey and misty morning

Cormorant flies off after a good breakfast

The cormorants have been dining well, recently, and it's fun to watch them surfacing with fish just beyond our deck. The grebes are feeding well, too, so it's a sign that the river must be quite healthy.

S.L. Belle going upstream

On another grey day this lovely old steam launch passed by, an elegant example from a more glamorous era.

It's now mid March and I'm hoping that Spring will show more obvious signs of its arrival. The garden still looks reluctant to come out of hibernation but the birds, at least, are active in the garden and we had the pleasure of a visit from a beautiful song thrush this week. The kingfisher has also stopped by a few times recently but we can't predict when it will arrive, which is a shame. It's such a stunning bird.

Oh For A Few Days Of Sunshine!

2010-02-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

Mandarin duck enjoys a brief glimpse of sunlight

All the signs are here. The chaffinches are calling to each other, the coots are having serious battles over territory, the little brown duck, Lonely, and her mate are checking out the nesting boxes, but the weather is anything but Spring like. We've had the occasional sunny day, and some half-hearted sunrises and sunsets, but for the most part grey skies, bucket-loads of rain, and cool temperatures are all we have to show for the approach of Spring. The mandarin ducks turn up for food most days, but even they couldn't be bothered to brave the heavy rainfall one day this week.

Mrs. Pochard

The Pochards are here so often they are part of the scenery. Even they, however, disappeared for most of yesterday when the heavens opened. The two male escorts are elegantly coiffured with not a feather out of place.

We've had a less frequent visitor to the garden twice in one week, and I'm hoping it will stop by on a regular basis. There was a flash of blue and, when I took a closer look, I saw a kingfisher sitting in the fig tree looking down at the pond. I don't know whether we still have any fish but I think the kingfisher was checking things out. I saw him/her again two days later, sitting on the railings, but I couldn't tell whether it was watching the pond or the shallow river water outside the front door.

Boats in tandem

On a cold, grey morning these boats came through the lock in tandem, saving fuel by using only one engine to power the two of them. Even when the weather's dull there's nearly always something to see on the river, whether it be birds or boats.

Bidou is getting restless

Bidou has become very vocal these days. She chats away to us when she's feeding and she becomes positively distraught at the sound of swans flying overhead. She must be sensing that the mating season is fast approaching and still she has no partner. Although I shouldn't assume that she has 'human' emotions, there are times when she appears to be desperate for company. I can see her now, as I'm writing this, tailing the pair of dominant mute swans as they head here for their last 'wheat treat' of the day. Bidou was here only 10 minutes ago and she was crying out quite pitifully, as if she were calling to her 'friends'. She's not hungry for food but she is hungry for company.

Southern Cormorant

With all the rain the cormorants have enjoyed some good fishing. They seem to be getting quite tame, too. I surprised one by the front door and, instead of diving in panic, it just looked at me and stayed where it was. The southern cormorant, pictured above with its coarse, silver neck plumage, is equally bold and frequently surfaces really close to the houseboat. The other day I saw it fighting with an eel but the eel appeared to win and the cormorant abandoned the fight! Unfortunately, the light was low and I was unable to get a good image of the 'encounter'.

The 'two fat ladies' have just been for supper and were extra hungry tonight. They hadn't called by for breakfast or lunch today but made up for the deficit of wheat when I hand fed them. Were they hungry!!

It's almost dark, but at least it is already 5.40pm, and the evenings are getting lighter. The mandarin ducks are still tucking in to a late supper on the deck. And now, it's time to think about our evening meal . . . and it won't consist of wheat!

How many Pochards?

2010-02-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Dawn patrol

The dominant mute swans don't tolerate interlopers and, with Spring approaching, have increased the early morning patrols of their territory. The mute swan tagged UPH and his partner have been sneaking in for a quick beakful of wheat but it's a risky business. Over the past fourteen days they've been chased away at least a dozen times! They took flight just in time on this occasion but I hope they won't be foolish enough to come back. This was a grab shot, as I hadn't been paying attention and only noticed the action at the last moment. I should know by now that, when the light is lovely and there's wildlife about, I should have my camera close by and be prepared for what might happen!

Bidou stretches her wings

Bidou has become very vocal recently and 'chats' away to us whenever we feed her. In fact, if we don't notice her, she makes sure that we're aware of her presence by increasing the volume of her calls for attention. I've noticed that she responds to any swans flying overhead by 'trumpeting' very loudly as they pass. It's sad that she is still alone, three years after settling in the area, and attaches herself to the pair of mute swans for company whenever she can. It's obvious that they don't really want her around but at least they're not beating her up at the moment.

There's no 'entente cordiale' among Pochards

Monsieur and Madame Pochard have become regulars now and we assume they are the pair that nested in the area last summer. We were rather surprised the other morning to see five pochards hanging around at first light, two pairs and a 'spare' male. We wondered, at first, whether 'the regulars' had brought their mates in from Bushy Park but it soon became apparent that there was no love lost between them and the newcomers haven't been seen since that morning. There's little 'entente cordiale' between the pochards and the mandarin ducks either and there are frequent squabbles but it's fun to watch them all interact. The colourful plumage of the mandarins and the vibrant crest and beak of the male pochard brightens up the rather drab days at the moment.

A determined tufted duck

The current has been strong recently and the waterfowl are having to swim hard against the flow to make any headway. This male tufted duck saw me come out to throw some wheat on the plank and put on a spurt to make sure he didn't miss out on a treat.

Mute swan thrusts against the current

The dominant cob spots a rival

I'm always amazed at just how powerful the dominant pair of mute swans are. They make an impressive pair when they 'see off ' rivals and the wake they create gives some indication of their strength as they surge through the water.

Belize and back again

2010-01-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

Wood Stork

When we used to live in Belize, back in 1991, Crooked Tree Wildlife Reserve was not particularly well known. Now, with the help of the Belize Audubon Society, access and information are much improved. Though we were disappointed not to see any Jabiru storks, the tallest flying bird in Central America and South America, we did see plenty of other lovely water birds including the Wood Stork pictured above.

Green Heron

We followed a few trails at Crooked Tree and also drove along some of the village roads where we spotted a number of herons and a hawk, including the Green Heron, above.

Little Blue Heron

Tricoloured Heron

Common Black Hawk

Jaguar

We stayed for one night at the Tropical Education Centre and visited The Belize Zoo. The zoo was founded by an American, Sharon Matola, because indigenous animals used in the filming of Mosquito Coast, would not have survived had they been released back into the wild. We had the pleasure of taking a special 'night tour' of the zoo, which was amazing, and returned the next day in the pouring rain.

Puma

Ocelot

Yellowthroat Warbler

We spotted this handsome and cheeky bird while having lunch at Cheers on the Western Highway. Many thanks to Chrissy from Cheers for letting me know. According to Chrissy, he visits every day.

Roadside Hawk

On our way to Hopkins Village we regularly spotted several Roadside Hawks, including this one whose surprised expression may have been connected to the unusually shaped stream of excrement that he'd just released. I edited it from the picture because it looked very like a Johnson's ear bud!

Long-tailed Hermit Hummingbird

While we were staying in the jungle at the delightful Hickatee Cottages the rainforest lived up to its reputation with abundant downpours. The already shady jungle canopy was darker than normal which made bird photography quite a challenge, especially that of hummingbirds that are in the habit of flitting from flower to flower at lightning speed. They also seemed to know which flowers I had focused my camera on and would seek nectar from other blossoms before I had a chance to re-focus!

The No Sus Falls

There are some stunning waterfalls in the Toledo district including this one. Even though the weather was wet and grey the falls were breathtakingly beautiful. I should imagine that, on sunny Sundays, the local Maya and Ketchi Indians bring their families here to enjoy the refreshing, cool waters of the pools and lagoons.

Rio Blanco Falls

The Rio Branco Falls, also in the Toledo District close to Guatemala, were even more impressive and we had the pleasure of watching a Kingfisher plunge into one of the clearer pools in search of lunch. There's a rather alarming cable bridge over part of the falls and it feels most unsafe walking on small slats of wood that swing as you move. The fact that you can see the water beneath you between the widely spaced slats adds to the experience!

Boats outside Barfield Marine

On our return home we had the pleasure of one fresh snowfall before the white landscape turned to grey . . and wet. Fortunately, the following Sunday was a glorious day and we took the boat out for a trip upstream to see whether anything had changed over the past five weeks. There was little evidence of change and it didn't take long for our 'regular' wildlife to find out that we were back. The wildlife and Dave and I are very grateful to Claudia for looking after garden birds and the waterfowl while we were away.

Astoria

Belize was wonderful but it's good to be home again and there's a lot to be said for messing about by the river on a sunny Sunday afternoon. However often we 'cruise' around Hampton and Platts Eyot we never tire of the beauty of this area.

Jungle & coast

2010-01-03T13:45:00.001-08:00

Yellow crowned night heron

After leaving Caye Caulker we spent some days in the Cayo district which was really beautiful, but the weather was, for the most part, cold, wet and grey. We went zip-lining, spent a day at the ATM cave, which was quite an experience, visited the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, went to the Botanical Gardens in the jungle and bounced some thirty odd miles along a 'washboard surface' road to the lovely Rio On Falls. On the final day, the sun shone and we drove almost to Guatemala to the beautiful Mayan ruins of El Pilar. We were the only visitors that day and had the whole site to ourselves. A grey fox stopped and stared at us several times and there were many exotic species of birds and butterflies to enjoy.

An osprey just above our friends' house in Belize City

We spent 5 days over the Christmas period with our friends from 20 years back. They have a magnificent house by the sea at Bella Vista and I spent many a happy hour there watching an osprey, the frigate birds, pelicans, herons, egrets and some lovely garden birds. We also fished from the dock, but only David managed to catch a yellow-fin Jack.

Frigate bird chasing a bait fish

The magnificent frigate birds usually steal fish from other species but they also take advantage of panicked bait fish when a large predatory fish goes on the rampage. Here you can see a female frigate bird just about to swoop on a tiny bait fish leaping from the sea to avoid whatever was hunting beneath the waves!

Hibiscus flower in the late afternoon light

Our friends have a lovely front garden and hummingbirds are sometimes attracted to the hibiscus flowers. I waited patiently for some time but lucked out.

West beach on the Northern Lagoon

David & Debbie took us on an amazing day out, which included trolling for snook and tarpon, a trip up the Sibun river to visit Bird Cay on Northern Lagoon, lunch on West Beach, and a 45 minute trip in an amphibious vehicle through water and then into the jungle as far as Gracie Rock.

On the way we saw a green heron

A great blue heron outside the Geggs' house

A bare-throated Tiger Heron

From Belize City we drove along the stunning Hummingbird Highway on our way to Punta Gorda. This was new territory for us as the Hummingbird Highway was unpaved when we lived in Belize which made for long, slow, uncomfortable driving and we never got as far as Punta Gorda. It's probably the wettest part of Belize - the rain supposedly falls mainly at night - but it rained far more than we'd have liked which put the dampers on most photographic opportunities. We stayed at a lovely jungle lodge with attractive trails into the jungle, but the grey skies and jungle canopy meant that the light was too low for bird photography. I was lucky enough to come across the immature Tiger Heron on the outskirts of town, however, where there was a clearing.

Passion flower

The owner of the lodge was good enough to show us around a butterfly farm and on the way we stopped to look at some of the leaves and flowers needed for the successful breeding of butterflies.

Butterfly feeding on a banana

The Tiger Heron was in the same spot the next day

Hummingbird in the rain

Sunset on the way back from the Maya ruins of Lubaantun

Nature notes from the Caribbean

2009-12-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

Osprey returning to feed his young

We've swapped the Thames Riviera, as Taggs Island and environs is called, for a more exotic location with the wildlife to match. Instead of swans and ducks we're surrounded by pelicans, egrets and magnificent frigate birds. The temperature's a little different too - it's in the high 80s here while back home Jack Frost is biting.

Little blue heron joins us for a fish lunch!

It's a different world here in Belize, where time obligingly expands to optimise recreation and relaxation. We've lived in the country twice, some twenty years ago, and revisited in '98, and it is probably our favourite place to be. They say you can never go back, and we had some concerns as to whether we'd still like it here, but little's changed, even in Belize city, and the people here are just as friendly as ever.

Pelican checks out a fisherman cleaning a yellowfin jack

For the last five days we've been unwinding on Caye Caulker, an unspoiled, laid back island of Belize. It's so good to slow down to the local pace, a gentle amble with nowhere to go in a hurry. A pace set by the pelicans and frigate birds that cruise by on the breeze, just like the locals and tourists alike who drift down main street checking out what's hot and what's not!

This magnificent frigate bird stole a sardine head from a gull

We've found an ideal place to pass the time, a bar on the bay called The Lazy Lizard. It has the best of almost everything - clear turquoise water, sunshine, shade, happy people and, best of all, an osprey nest close by. I've been in seventh heaven, watching the osprey bring fish for its partner and offspring while fending off frigate birds, the flying pirates of the Caribbean. It's not often you can sit at a bar, swim in crystal clear water, have fun with the local people, drink rum punch AND take photographs of ospreys on their nest!

Aquabatics are just part of the backdrop

Between relaxing at the bar, swimming, chatting to locals and tourists, and taking photographs, there's always plenty to take in. People watching, something my father loved to do, is great fun here - a few days would provide enough material for a book. As well as the passing boats, canoes, kite surfers and the like, yesterday's high spot was a sailing boat that hit the sand bar before it reached our bar. The poor guys tried really hard to push it into deeper water, hampered by a strong onshore breeze, and after various locals and a small craft tried to rescue them a boat with a serious engine came to their aid and towed them off the sand bar.

Mandingo performs his party trick

Mandingo, a guy with a flare for entertaining tourists, put on an unusual show, too. He took some fresh sardines from a local fisherman (who was busy gutting a huge yellowfin jack) and hand-fed the frigate birds. It was an impressive sight, especially when he placed a sardine in his mouth and one of the frigate birds swooped down and snatched it from his lips. When that party trick was over, Mandingo lured a moray eel from under the dock and enticed an array of colourful fish into the shallow water by the jetty. The price . . . a beer at the bar!

After the moray eel had eaten the smaller fish headed for the fish head

The lazy lizard

Now we know why the bar is called The Lazy Lizard. This little iguana couldn't be bothered to move out of my way and I had to step over him while he just blinked in the sunlight.

Global wetting

2009-12-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

A sunny day during a week of rain

For a few brief hours today we enjoyed bright skies and brilliant sunshine. We took advantage of a break in the intermittent yet persistent downpours we've been enduring for several weeks,
to deliver Christmas cards to several friends upstream who live on the next island. Some may question claims about global warming, others question whether climate change is 'man made', but few can deny that the south east of England is getting, wetter, warmer and windier . . . and the rain is more like monsoon rain these days!

Guilty!

This furry felon raids the bird table every day, feasting on the sunflower hearts meant for the finches and tits. Magpies and pigeons also sneak on to the bird table to grab what they can, and that leaves little for the smaller garden birds. Fortunately, I have a window feeder by the kitchen and that helps feed the 'little' birds. No one has told the parakeets that they're not supposed to use the window feeder,though, and one in particular enjoys a leisurely breakfast there most mornings.

Another rainy day in paradise!

Believe it or not this was a colour image! More rain is forecast and the river is flowing faster but is not in spate yet. In fact the river is being well managed at the moment, almost too well as islanders found the levels too low for safety several weeks ago. Some couldn't get off their houseboats! Apparently a sensor failed and river levels dropped too low for most of us.

A new kit on the block

A newcomer to the island, this friendly young moggy spends a little too much time in our garden but he's very sweet. The birds aren't so keen, though. I love cats but am more concerned about the safety of the birds I feed. We seem to have an influx of new cats at the moment, all lovely and all in my garden! I 'm so tempted to stroke them but I do my best to resist the temptation and shoo them away.

Blustery days

2009-11-25T00:59:00.000-08:00

Good days for sailing

We've had very squally weather over the last couple of weeks with quieter periods in between. The strength of the gusts last night was impressive - fortunately all is safe and in one piece this morning. The local sailing clubs have had some ideal weather conditions for their Sunday races. The above are Hampton dinghies, making the most of the brisk ,breezy weather.

Male mandarin duck

Only one pair of mandarin ducks visits us regularly at the moment. They always wait to be fed on the front deck rather than at the back of the house for the first feed of the day. The female is so much daintier than a female mallard but she can usually keep her place in the pecking order.
The male isn't so bold and flies off the deck when I put out food but his partner stands at the patio doors and stares in at me when she wants more wheat.

Dangerous territory

Territorial battles between mute swans have been less frequent this winter but occasionally the dominant pair takes exception to any intruder that strays into their territory. When they've driven off potential rivals they continue to flare their wings and flex their necks until they're sure there's no longer a threat.

After an absence of months the squirrel is back, raiding the bird table for sunflower hearts every morning. I had bought a bird table that was designed to foil large birds and squirrels but magpies, pigeons and the squirrel refuse to be deterred by the extra bars. Today I've delayed putting out food until the squirrel gets bored and goes elsewhere!

It's months away from the nesting season but Lonely inspects the two duck nesting boxes every day. Perhaps it's her way of laying claim to at least one of them. A hybrid male duck (one of the brown and white ones like Gobi) also spends a fair amount of time on the ramp of the nest box last used by Goldeneye.

Stormy nights and misty mornings

2009-11-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

Leisurely preen

On colder mornings the swans spend at least an hour at the feeding station hoping for extra hand-outs. When they finally accept that feeding time is over, they relax mid-stream for a serious preen. This one caught my eye when it was backlit by the early morning sun for a moment. It's warm breath laced the cold air in wisp of vapour.

The mandarin ducks are back

Four days ago I noticed that the mandarin ducks were back after disappearing for several months from the scene. They're quite bold and the female stands right up close to the sliding doors and pecks on the glass for attention.

A typical misty scene for this time of year

It's time for the kids to leave

Every morning I'm greeted by the parent swans, three cygnets, the black swan, fifteen to twenty ducks, the two fat ladies and an assortment of tufted ducks and coots. Feeding them all is quite a challenge as they fight each other instead of getting stuck in! The two fat ladies eat what they can from the communal platform and then swim over to me to be hand fed. If I'm not careful, I nearly trip over a drake every time I move as he follows me like a dog and stands right by my feet hoping for his own private supply of wheat. If I feed him separately he is immediately driven off by other ducks and returns to my side. One day, if I'm not careful, I'll trip over him! Meanwhile Bidou, the black swan, expects to be fed in her usual spot but the swans and cygnets are wise to this and chase her off. After 10 minutes, things quieten down a bit (apart from the swans) and then some of the more shy ducks, like Lonely, turn up for their turn.

Battered by rain

During last night's storms winds gusted to 75mph and are still brisk this morning with a threat of more squalls to come. Yesterday this rose looked lovely but it's taken a fair battering overnight.

The end of an Indian summer

2009-11-04T00:38:00.000-08:00

The lovely Indian summer is gradually coming to an end. We've started getting heavy rain at times and the temperatures have dropped significantly. I still haven't had to wrap my citrus trees in fleece yet, but it's handy for when the first frost is forecast. This morning is bright and sunny so I was able to take this picture of Bidou (below) stretching her wings after having chased one of the cygnets away from the food supply. It's almost a game with her. She picks on one of the cygnets and chases it round and round the boat until she gets bored. Apart from grabbing it by the neck or tail feathers occasionally, she does nothing else to harm it.

Bidou enjoying a leisurely stretch

A stream in Bushy Park

When the weather forecast predicted the end of the warm, sunny days, I grabbed the opportunity to take a walk in the park late one afternoon. The sun disappears from the woodland gardens all too early, but I still enjoyed the more muted light that lent a softer hue to the autumm colours. I had hoped to see some deer on my walk but not one showed as much as its antlers.

Tufted duck enjoying the early morning sunshine

The tufted ducks are so tame these days, having become habituated to humans. Dozens of them spend the day under the overhang of our walkway, taking advantage of any food that I put out for the swans and ducks. They love wheat and dive for the grains that are spilled by the careless ducks. At the moment the water is really clear, so we can watch them swimming underwater as they search for the wheat. Some of them now use our main plank to 'haul out' and preen, which is great, because one doesn't normally see tufties on dry land. The coots chase them off if they want the plank for themselves but, occasionally, the tufties have a chance to clean up and have a quiet kip without being disturbed.

The pond in late autumn

The leaves on our Acer have turned a magnificent rusty red and the pond plants, instead of dying off, seem to be growing again. There are gorgeous new flowers on the marsh marigold and one of the other plants is putting out new shoots. Even the watercress is doing well.

The Indian summer continues

2009-10-29T00:53:00.000-07:00

We were surprised to see a coot carry a small fish to the floating platform outside our foredeck yesterday and attempt to swallow it. We've never seen a coot with a fish before and this one tried to swallow the fish whole. Before I could grab my camera, a gull swept down and grabbed the fish from the coot, before being mobbed by a dozen gulls.

A few minutes later we watched a tufted duck settle on the platform to preen and then it stood and flapped its wings for several minutes as if attempting a vertical take-off.

Last week, when I was on the phone to a friend, I saw a large fish leap clear from the river twice. What was strange was that the fish appeared to have a bright red band around its middle, like a sash. It seemed to twist as it flew through the air and I wondered whether it were trying to free itself from some jetsam that had become wrapped around it.

Two elegant 'old ladies'

This stretch of river between Molesey Lock and Sunbury Lock is not only beautiful but steeped in history. On Sunday, as we watched TheYarmouth Belle (built 1892) pass the houseboat Astoria (1911), we were impressed by the classical elegance of boat design in former years.

Parakeets are as devious as magpies

Parakeets are clever at accessing food and over time we've seen them prize off lids from peanut feeders and dump them in the river in order to snack on whole peanuts. In this picture you can see a fat ball lodged in the tree that a parakeet has dragged from the container for a more comfortable and leisurely meal!

Down the hatch!

As we approached this cormorant we noticed it was showing signs of indigestion! It lifted most of its body from the water, arched its neck and swallowed, before taking a final drink to wash the catch down.

Dinghy racing

These colourful craft added to the glorious autumnal glow on the river. There was a brisk breeze, accompanied by bright, warm sunshine on Sunday, and the competitors made the most of the perfect conditions.

Winter time, it's official, but no one told the wildlife!

2009-10-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Another stunning evening in Hampton

We may, officially, have entered Winter time with the clocks going back an hour last night, but the weather belies this. At present it's sunny and an amazing 24.1 C on our deck and we've been watching a red admiral butterfly take advantage of the warm sunshine. Meanwhile, I'm still harvesting tomatoes from the garden deck and the baby aubergines are thriving.

Sunning themselves before bed time

The two fat ladies love to warm themselves in the dying rays of the late autumn sunshine. After an early supper they head for Duck Ait where they preen and then sit and face the evening sun. They give us a wake up call each morning, making such a racket that it's impossible to ignore them. Neither of us can get back to sleep once they come calling for their breakfast! Unusually, for ducks, they are happy to share their food and never peck each other, taking it in turn to hand feed. They're gentle ducks . . . but very noisy!

Another regular at Duck Ait

Most evenings we see this heron preen and settle on Duck Ait. Watching the ducks, geese and herons gather here at sundown reminds us of Key West in Florida, where sunset attracts a huge crowd of locals and visitors alike. We've been fortunate enough to have some stunning sunsets this autumn.

Not in our back river!

2009-10-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

Resident swans chase rival cygnet

A cygnet from the upstream family of swans was foolish enough to stray into our swan family's territory and was seriously attacked. It managed to escape but didn't learn a lesson and was soon cornered by dad, mum and the three cygnets. It kept trying to climb out onto the bank but was dragged under by the attacking swans. It didn't stand a chance and, in the end, Dave went across in the boat to hold off the attackers long enough for the cygnet to escape.

A cygnet chases off one of its own family

The cygnets are learning to defend their territory and are quite happy to attack each other. Meanwhile Bidou, the black swan, takes great delight in chasing all the cygnets. Perhaps she sees it as payback time for all her humiliations throughout the year at the hands of the parent mute swans.

Early morning sun catches the autumn foliage

There was the most glorious light on the trees one morning this week. The river took on a golden hue as it reflected the lovely autumn colour in the trees on the opposite bank.

Evening sun on the bank opposite

We've had a lovely autumn and have managed to get out in the boat regularly, if only for a half hour trip upstream, round the islands and back again. The evening light looks so restful as the sun's low rays slant through the trees but the scene was far from peaceful on Monday night at around 10.30pm. The silence was broken by the sound of many police sirens. Then I heard what sounded like a mini bike racing along the towpath from the Hurst Park direction before stopping close by. A minute later a number of policemen/women ran along the towpath from the Molesey direction and there were flashlights and people shouting for a while. Finally, a helicopter was sent up to scour the area so presumably the fugitive wasn't found. Later I saw more police searching with flashlights among the trees and shrubs. If anyone reading this knows what happened, please put us out of our suspense!

A garden on the riverbank en route to Sunbury weir stream

Whenever it's sunny we try to make the most of the river by taking our day boat up or down stream. The air is getting chillier in the late afternoon but the light is quite lovely when the sky is so clear. It's interesting to see how far some of our local wildlife travels. The two fat ladies have completely recovered now from the loss of their male partner and use Duck Ait as their base. They swim around some of the island and into the lagoon but don't circumnavigate the island. Bidou travels as far as Platts Eyot, however, and I've also seen some of the ducks that come to feed daily in the Platts Eyot area later in the day.

Party in the park

2009-10-14T01:53:00.000-07:00

Red sky at night

This delightful sunset melted into a chill, still night, perfect conditions for a party in the park - a stag party, that is. As the night progressed testosterone charged stags got rowdy, fighting ensued and the deep-throated bellowing of rutting red deer woke us at 3.00am.

Hungover the next day?

The following day I wandered over to the park to see some action but most of the deer were either hunkered down nurturing 'antler ache' or keeping a watchful eye on the hinds (female deer) they'd 'won over'. Several lone stags did their best to impress any hind in two minds about their choice of partner, but there were no attempts to 'steal' peripheral members of the harem from inattentive rivals.

If at first you don't succeed . . .

. . . try and try again

A stag, previously hidden by bracken, sauntered past me and stood close to some grazing hinds in an attempt to proclaim his prowess. They ignored him! His heart wasn't in it and he soon ambled off to look for action elsewhere.

Time for a little lunch

Leaving the stag to nurse his dented pride I noticed a heron heading for a stretch of water where gulls were skimming the surface for food. The heron had lunch on its mind but the gulls had no intention of sharing, and several dive-bombed it.

What the devil . . .

I'll get those gulls

Hunting in pairs

Cormorants have been fishing in twos and threes over the last few weeks and are doing very nicely, thank you! The river is teaming with fish, providing a plentiful supply.

This one was successful at almost every attempt

One final fish for breakfast

Two neighbours fish from their decks and the cormorants target their boats when they arrive for breakfast and lunch. Presumably there are more fish nearby because of the bait used to attract fish by the fishermen - an example of a healthy symbiotic relationship between humans and wildlife. Sadly not all fishermen have such a laissez-faire attitude to wildlife and we witnessed a cormorant, hooked by fishermen trolling from their boat, being dragged through the water, desperately trying to free itself. What sickened us was the fact that the fishermen maintained their speed and only slowed to a near stand-still when we called to them to slow down and headed towards them in our boat. They managed to free the cormorant and raced away before we reached them, and we stayed to check on the cormorant. In spite of its ordeal, it seemed fine and continued to dive and surface without showing signs of distress. There were no tell tale signs of fishing line to concern us.

Greenfinch with little fear

A rather scruffy greenfinch frequents our window feeder and spends ages sitting in the dish. It feasts on sunflower hearts, spitting out the bits it doesn't want. These fall to the ground and are eaten by the pigeons or ducks, depending on which species gets to them first.

Time for a drink

After a hearty meal the bird heads for the pond, first for a drink, and afterwards for a bath. It has learnt to balance on one of the waterlily leaves or on my watercress and bathe safely from there.

The two fat ladies

Following the death of Grey Job the two fat ladies have been noticeably subdued and off their food. For over a week they hung around Patrick's garden instead of spending the night on Duck Ait, a much safer venue. Unfortunately for Patrick, they liked the shelter of his porch and the comfort of his doormat. The mess on his mat the following day had to be seen to be believed! We tried to discourage them by obscuring the walkway with plant pots but they found their way around them and continued to 'bed down' on his doorstep. His garden looked like the contents of a feather pillow had been scattered over it, while the ground was pebble-dashed with massive amounts of excrement, so Patrick was relieved when their period of mourning was over and they made Duck Ait their home once more.

A splash of autumn colour

A hollow tree trunk

There are plenty of trees like this in Bushy Park. It's such a bonus to have the park on our doorstep with its wilderness areas and its beautiful woodland gardens. Yesterday, while out photographing the deer, I was fortunate enough to come across a huge number of deer, gently grazing and enjoying the warm sunshine. Most of the stags were resting, so there was very little happening until a dog started chasing the deer, rushing at them and startling them all. If the owner had been anywhere in view they would have been in trouble for allowing their dog to attack the deer.

Difficult times on the river

2009-09-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

Three Cygnets

Only four cygnets turn up to be fed these days and we presume that the fifth one is already independent. Sadly, the sixth one died two weeks ago, possibly hit by a boat or by rowers. The mother lingered beside the body for a while, distressed, nudging the dead cygnet and calling to it. It's a very sad sight. I've seen ducks and coots 'mourn' beside their dead partners or young, and there's a part of me that cries inside and mourns with them. After all these years I still haven't managed to distance myself emotionally.

The two fat ladies, the large white ducks I wrote about last time, are also in mourning at the moment. Grey Job, their male escort who's been in this area for at least 10 years, must have died. I hand fed him on Wednesday and he seemed fine, but he failed to appear on Thursday. Only one of the fat ladies turned up and she seemed very distressed and disorientated. She hardly quacked and didn't feed. Later in the day both fat ladies turned up without Grey Job and they were very subdued and wouldn't eat. On Friday, they re-located to our neighbour's garden but still didn't eat and were almost silent. In the evening we thought that the older one was dying, she kept wobbling and falling over and she slumped forward on the ground with her wings spread. To our surprise they were both around on Saturday but neither came to feed though they both seemed a little more active. Today, however, they are recovering and both hand fed from me this morning so I think the worst might be over.

Deer in the Woodland Garden

I went for a walk in Bushy Park to my favourite woodland garden and came across a deer, grazing on the greenery. Deer aren't supposed to be inside the fenced garden because of the damage they do but I've seen at least five or six on occasions. I don't suppose the park rangers are too happy about their presence within the gardens!

Frog in pond

I went with a friend to Garson's Farm in Esher and wandered around the garden centre. There's a lovely pond there with plenty of frogs and this one posed for the camera.

Josie and Otter

Near neighbour, Josie, whose baby is due any time now, still manages to look decidedly glamourous. She looked so cool here, making the most of the fine weather, that Dave had to take a photo. Otter, her lovely dog, agreed to pose with her!

Astoria at sundown

It has been a glorious week or so and we've managed to go out in the boat most evenings before the sun loses all its warmth. On Friday, when the skies were clear the whole day, Astoria reflected the dying rays of the sun after a wonderfully warm day.

Clear blue skies over Hampton

It might be late September but the temperatures here have been higher than in parts of southern Europe. We've been fortunate to have had bright sunny weather with temperatures as high as 30 C - it's 25 C in the shade at the moment! The view is of Hampton Church, with the sailing club in the foreground, late in the afternoon.

Safe sanctuary for birds on Duck Ait

As evening approaches Duck Ait begins to get crowded as herons, swans, geese, mallards, cormorants, coots, moorhens, tufted ducks, grebes and hybrid ducks seek out a safe haven for the night. Even the occasional gull stops off there for a rest. This is where the two fat ladies and Grey Job chose to roost at night but, since Grey Job's demise, the girls have taken to hauling out on my neighbour's landing stage.

The final flower

The last water lily of the year graced our pond with its beauty for a few days this week. I'm so pleased that we've had a number of flowers after three abortive attempts.

A special anniversary

My husband was surprised to see two strangers sitting in deck chairs in the island's sunken garden sipping champagne. He was delighted to learn that they'd met each other 50 years previously at The Karsino on Taggs Island and were celebrating the anniversary of their meeting. The gentleman has on his lap a copy of the programme/invitation from the event at the Karsino, which was a famous hotel on Taggs Island originally owned by Fred Karno (whose boat Astoria was featured earlier in this blog.

Contrails in the evening sky

One of the 'down' sides of living close to Heathrow Airport is the noise and pollution we have to endure. Concorde was the only plane to pollute our skies in her glory days and none of us minded her because she was such a magnificent sight, in spite of the noise. I remember seeing her one evening, flying over our house, and the last rays of the sun turned her to liquid gold. Nowadays the air and noise pollution from Heathrow and Gatwick are appalling, in spite of what the government and the authorities would have us believe, but at least the vapour trails are picturesque at times.

One of many Little Ships making its way upstream

Each year we watch a flotilla of Little Ships, the boats that rescued brave men from Dunkirk, make their way upstream carrying veterans from the war. Twenty boats left from Kingston to Weybridge on this year's Annual Veterans Cruise. Two Chelsea Pensioners enjoy the ride on this one.

Islanders' worst nightmare

Thank heavens everyone escaped before the boat sank. Almost a month ago now a near tragedy unfolded as one of the island's houseboats sank. Family and friends managed to escape just in time but the event has shocked many of us. The family has been incredibly strong and brave following this event and we hope that their salvaged home, once it has dried out and been repaired, will soon be habitable. It would seem that a lump of concrete campshedding was responsible for eventually 'holing' the boat. If the accident had happened in winter in the dark who knows what might have happened.

The boat leaves it's mooring

Heading for the dry dock

Safety in sight

Flying lessons for swans

Parents have been showing their kids the ropes when it comes to the art of flight. Not every take off has been successful but at last the cygnets are getting the hang of it. Soon they will be driven off by their parents.

It's a good life

Breakfast over, this cygnet has spent time preening and is now loafing around in the quiet of the early morning enjoying the sunshine. It's too much of an effort to paddle with both feet!

Two Fat Ladies join a rather old grey male hybrid duck on Duck Ait

2009-08-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

One of two newcomers to the river

Two very noisy white female ducks have been befriended by gentle old Grey Job and spend their time either on Duck Ait or its vicinity clamouring for food. One of them looks quite old, judging by her beak. We don't know where they've come from but guess they must have been abandoned by someone and set free nearby. They are incredibly noisy when they come round to be fed but there is something endearing about them. They also have huge appetites! We know they spend a lot of time at Sue and Peter's mooring too, so they're not likely to go hungry!

Cormorant with an eel

I spotted this cormorant fighting with an eel quite early one grey, dull morning. It was amazing to watch its attempts to swallow breakfast but the eel fought (or wriggled) back and eventually escaped, in spite of the fact that it looks here as though the cormorant has half swallowed it.
As I grabbed the camera to see if I could get a clear image I noticed that my neighbour, Barney, two doors down, had also spotted the cormorant. Unfortunately for both of us, the battle took place just a little too far away to get a close-up image but if you click on the picture you can increase the magnification.

Blue Hibiscus in garden

A friend on the island gave me a Hibiscus shrub some years ago that has both blue and pink flowers. It is doing really well this year and brightens up the garden. The bees love the blue flowers in particular.

Young heron making itself at home next door

One morning as I went out to feed the garden birds I noticed this young heron. At the time it was standing on my neighbour, Patrick's, front doormat (left) as if waiting to be invited inside! It was a little nervous when it saw me and moved to the edge of the gang plank, facing Ted and Corinne's mooring stage. The coot family, however, were in the river beneath, and the parents took fright at seeing a heron gazing down at their youngsters. In typical coot fashion, they shrieked in alarm and stamped their feet in the water to frighten the heron. Coots are very fierce when defending their young and the heron decided it was safer to fly off rather than face their combined wrath.

Bee on a Bergamot flower in my herb garden

The bees are always buzzing round the Bergamot flowers and if you click on this image you'll see one of the delicate wings as the bee flies off to another flower.

One of the more lovely party boats in this area

The New Southern Belle is one of the more attractive party boats on this stretch and the guests enjoyed a lovely sunny day yesterday. It's great to see people having fun on the river.

Water Lily in my pond

At last, a Water Lily finally survives the voracious coots and ducks! Yesterday the flower finally half opened and today it is fully open and really pretty. For three years I've tried to grow Water Lilies in the pond but they've either been eaten or haven't flowered, so I'm thrilled with this one. It probably helps that Thunder Thighs isn't around to eat all the leaves as they form! I think another flower is on the way, too. I put a deep red Water Lily in the shallow water by our houseboat but the coots, swans, geese and ducks never let a leaf make it to the surface, so I'll have to find a new home for it.

Nightlife, not wildlife - it's festival time again!

2009-07-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

One of the Dele Sosimi dancers at the World Music Festival in Sines

It's that time of year again and we're back in Portugal enjoying the sights, sounds and scenic backdrops of Porto Covo and Sines to enjoy an eclectic mix of musical talent from around the globe. The first three nights of the festival (Festival Musicas do Mundo 2009) were held at the lovely coastal resort of Porto Covo.

Dele Sosimi from Nigeria

Typically there are three very different acts per night at Porto Covo. This year the selection included O'QUESTRADA from Portugal, RUPA & THE APRIL FISHES from USA and CIRCO ABUSIVO from Italy on the first night. VICTOR DÉMÉ (Burkina Faso), THE UKRANIANS (UK) and DELE SOSIMI AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA (Nigeria/UK) worked their magic on the second night at Porto Covo. The third night showcased WYZA (Angola), ORQUESTA TIPICA FERNANDEZ FIERRO (Argentina) and DAARA J FAMILY (Senegal).

Below are images from the various acts at Porto Covo.

Dele Sosimi brass section

Dele Sosimi

Steff Trymruk - The Ukrainians

Len Liggins

All the above - The Ukrainians

Back stage at Porto Covo

Trinca Espinhas, a lovely beach restaurant between Sines and Porto Covo

Families of all ages come to eat at the beach side food stalls in Sines

Sines beach at dusk

Vasco Da Gama was a native of Sines. His statue dominates the area close to the castle

The concert arena in Porto Covo only yards from the sea (above) and one of the delightful sandy coves a short walk from the arena (below)

This is an example of the first three days and we're here for ten. More to follow . . .

Farewell to Goldeneye and several other female ducks

2009-06-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

The last picture I took of Goldeneye before she disappeared

Sadly, I have to presume the worst as regards my old friend Goldeneye. I haven't seen her for weeks since the night her nest was disturbed and she normally returns to visit after a few days away if she's been frightened. What Dave probably saw in the early hours of the morning when we were woken by her alarm calls, was a fox carrying her off. She's been with us for a good few years now and I shall miss having her and Gobi around. Mrs. Speckles has also vanished, presumed dead but, at least I was able to save Lonely from drowning, when she was being attacked by seven males at once. She still visits regularly but times her arrival carefully when there are no males about.

The Cygnets are growing up

Last week the swans turned up with only six cygnets and I thought it odd that one might have disappeared, considering the size they now are. However, all seven arrived for supper and they are all now showing signs of independence from Mum and Dad. In a few months they'll be driven away if they don't drift off of their own accord!

Female Mandarin duck dozing on our railing

This female, who's leg is tagged, spends much of her time with us at the moment. She's very tame and stays close to the front door when she wants to be fed. This is the first year that we've had a Mandarin duck spending so much time with us.

Four of seven baby coots

Coots are great parents, generally speaking, though we have seen some peck their own youngsters to death, presumably because they recognize that the young one isn't going to survive. These parents are fearless in their defense of their young, seeing off Canada geese as well as ducks of all kinds. Only the swans seem to stop them in their tracks. Last week a cat managed to reach their nest and carried off one of the babies, much to the distress of both parents. There are still six youngsters and they are growing rapidly. They look so funny with their ridiculous 'punk' red and yellow heads.

Young Great Tit asking to be fed

This youngster made quite a racket in the garden as it followed its parents around demanding regular food. It's almost as big as its parents but appears so helpless when it opens its beak and flutters its wings.

Sunset on the homeward stretch of river

We've been out in the boat most evenings as the weather has been lovely and the sky looked so attractive as we turned the corner of Taggs Island and headed for home the other night. We love our evening trips as the river is quiet and peaceful.

Sunset on Taggs at the upstream end

Hampton Church with the sailing club in the foreground

A view of our garden last month

The garden deck looking towards Hurst Park

Astoria being towed past Taggs Island

The houseboat, Astoria, originally belonged to Fred Karno who owned the Karsino on Taggs Island. This elegant Edwardian houseboat is now owned by David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) and is normally moored upstream of Taggs Island on an attractive stretch of river beyond Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare.

Astoria on the move

Astoria on its way back from Huck's Boatyard

Successes and Failures

2009-05-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

The swans have seven cygnets

This year the dominant swans have done well again, hatching seven cygnets and, so far, managing to raise them all. The previous dominant pair were hopeless parents, taking their newly hatched cygnets over the weir several years running. Those the heron didn't help itself to, the dominant swans on the lower stretch of the river attacked and killed.

Greater spotted woodpecker (image by Chris Wittenberg)

The woodpeckers also reared at least one youngster though it was almost as big as its parents when I last saw it accept food from them at the nest entrance. The tell tale signs of nest building could be seen at the base of the sycamore tree! Over the last few days we've heard and seen the parents flying to and fro with beak-fulls of insects and we've spotted at least one youngster. Our neighbour, Chris, managed to take the lovely image of one of the adults at the nest.

This persistent mandarin duck failed to impress

We get three or four pairs of mandarin ducks at the moment and this 'spare' male did his best to persuade one of the females to abandon her partner. Somehow his pose didn't quite do it for us either - not so much dashing as daft!

Silverduck enjoys a quiet five minutes in the pond

Silverduck managed to shake off some of the marauding males that lie in wait to attack the female ducks when they turn up to feed and she had a good five minutes to herself in our pond.

Our neighbours, Sue and Peter, successfully released the three ducklings we helped rescue and they are now part of a larger family. Sue and Peter's own 'mother duck' adopted several ducklings and then our three, and is now the proud mother of eleven ducklings. We sometimes see them all on Duck Ait, an island just upstream from us, where they separate into distinct groupings. Our three tend to stay together slightly apart from the others and there's always one duckling that doesn't snuggle up with the rest.

The pair of pochards never brought any youngsters to visit so I assume they were taken by predators. We were surprised to see another male turn up the other day, much to the annoyance of Madame, who did her best to see him off. Her mate didn't seem too bothered by the intruder, however.

We finally found out for sure that it's the magpie that has been raiding the nest boxes. When the ducks aren't there it's been dragging out the straw and pecking into the eggs. Poor Goldeneye lost four eggs to this remarkably intelligent thief and has been guarding her nest for most of the day for the past few days. Last night we heard a commotion and Goldeneye fled her nest and squawked for ages nearby. Dave saw something slope off down the deck at speed in the dark but he was unable to identify whether it was a fox or not. The eggs were still all there this morning but we've seen no sign of Goldeneye. We're sure she survived the attack but she may have abandoned her eggs (again). Like Mrs. Speckles before her she's been regularly attacked by males while occupying this nest box. On the subject of Mrs. Speckles, we haven't seen her for at least 10 days and I'm concerned that she might been attacked once too often! I just hope she hasn't drowned.

Chives in the herb bed

The chives have been magnificent this year and attract a large number of bees. I'm glad to see plenty of bees in the garden; I do my best to make the garden bee and butterfly friendly and never use chemicals.

Part of the garden at dusk

The scent of roses and syringa (mock orange blossom) fills the air as one walks down the garden path. Red cabbages grow amongst the flowers in this part of the garden. Elsewhere there are beans, peas, carrots, radishes, chard, lettuces, tomatoes, potatoes and herbs. The soft fruit is looking good, too, and the cherry and fig trees have a healthy crop. The biggest surprise, though, is the size of the strawberries. I've never seen such massive fruits in my garden.

The mallard that can't count!

2009-05-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

Out of the nest, into the river, and up the ramp!

All seven newly hatched ducklings make it back into the garden

Newly hatched ducklings in Sue & Peter's garden

Several days after taking on the responsibility of rearing three orphaned ducklings, Peter phoned to say that 'their' mallard, who'd seemed quite interested in the 'ready made' family, had just hatched her own seven ducklings. I went over immediately just as she was leading them to the river. After swimming around for a few minutes, she led them up a purpose built ramp back into the garden, where they nestled against the netting placed around the three rescue ducklings to protect them from predation.

The newly hatched ducklings alongside the rescue ducklings

The youngsters were immediately drawn to the rescue ducklings and nestled up close to them while 'mother' rested for a while. In the evening, the mallard led her ducklings to a safe haven overnight but returned with only five ducklings the following morning. To the amazement of Peter and Sue, however, she later acquired four more ducklings! Meanwhile, she seemed drawn to the rescue ducklings and every evening it took ages for her to lead her family to safety upstream torn, it seemed, between her own family and the three rescued youngsters. Sue thinks that if she allows them to mix the mallard might attack the older ducklings, but she might consider taking the risk when the youngsters are a little older.

Half an hour old and already at home in the makeshift duckling pond

Time to leave the nest

The robins in our carport nest box had been busy all hours feeding their youngsters and finally the day came for the fledglings to leave the nest. We did our best not to disturb them but the box is next to where we park our car. However, the birds weren't the least bit bothered by our comings and goings. This one was reluctant to take flight but we assume it managed to leave the nest eventually.

We were a bit disappointed to have no bluetits nesting in their box (also in the carport) this year, or so we thought! Yesterday, however, to our surprise we saw a bluetit with a beakful of bugs, flying into the nestbox. They've been very secretive until now. This morning the parents have been busy catching insects for their young before heading for the nest.

A brief moment of affection

Coots aren't renowned for their harmonious lifestyle. In fact they are querulous creatures more often involved in domestic disputes than any of the other waterfowl. This display of affection, didn't last for long, and they were soon squabbling about whose turn it was to groom the other.

Bidou's nest

When Bidou, the black swan, needs to feed she has to leave her nest unattended because there's no mate to take her place and protect the eggs. It looks like there are four goose eggs in with her own eggs. It seems highly unlikely that these will hatch now and she is spending longer periods of time away from her nest. The mute swans that started nesting at the same time as Bidou have seven beautiful cygnets (photos to follow).

Meanwhile, after a break from failed parenthood, our two female mallards are nesting again. Mrs. Speckles (with four eggs now) has returned to her former nestbox but Goldeneye has decided to lay two eggs in the newer of the two boxes on our garden deck. Perhaps she doesn't like being watched by Dave when he sits at the computer! The puzzle is that both ducks occasionally wander into each other's nests and this morning, the duck siting in Mrs. Speckles' box didn't look like Mrs. Speckles at all.

Where have all the ducklings gone?

2009-04-26T00:44:00.000-07:00

The three rescued ducklings

Thanks to Sue Beck and Peter, these three ducklings have more chance of survival than all the others. They are being kept warm and safe indoors at night, and allowed an element of freedom during the day in a pen that's netted on top to protect them from marauding crows, magpies and herons. There is an unexpected complication, however. A female mallard that is sitting on a nest close by seems to have decided to adopt a ready made family rather than hatch her own eggs. She keeps leaving her nest to spend time with the ducklings and Sue has to 'shoo her away' and encourage her to return to her nest. Her eggs are due to hatch in a few days' time.

Bidou taking a break from her nest

I think the eggs should have hatched by now and I'm not optimistic that Bidou will have any cygnets after all her time and effort! Perhaps, one day, she'll find a male black swan to settle with. So far she hasn't taken to any of the black swans we have seen pass through the area.

Mandarin ducks getting annoyed with a pidgeon

A number of wood pidgeons visit the garden and they are becoming quite aggressive. I'm amazed to see that the ducks seem scared of them and let the pidgeons 'hog' the wheat while they stand back, unsure of themselves. The Mandarin ducks are less inclined to be bullied by a mere pidgeon and fight back . . . and even, sometimes, win!

Deer in Richmond Park

I met up with a friend in nearby Richmond Park during the week and had forgotten just how lovely it is. Unlike Bushy Park, which is across the road from Taggs Island, Richmond Park is vast and hilly and has many interesting aspects.

A stream in Richmond Park

The park has a beautiful garden called The Isabella Plantation and at this time of year it is more stunning than usual, a blaze of colour from the many azaleas and rhododendrums. It's very popular with visitors, but somehow it never feels over-crowded.

Mrs. Speckles looking bedraggled

Poor Mrs. Speckles has had a horrendous time of it since she started to nest. She has lost many feathers and is bald in places where she has been attacked on her nest and dragged from it by various 'rogue' males. Her partner is hopeless and hasn't defended her. As I mentioned in my previous brief blog, her last remaining egg turned up on the table of our motor boat cracked but with a formed duckling inside. We think she must have attempted to carry it from the nest because it was damaged. Either that, or one of the drakes 'stole' it and dropped it on our boat. We have no idea what could have happened to all the straw that lined her nest. She may have eaten some of it when she was sitting on her eggs but surely not all of it? She has been back to the nest several times as if to check and make sure that there's nothing left.

Goldeneye on the day her ducklings hatched

I spoke too soon when I mentioned that Goldeneye appeared to be taking her motherly duties more seriously. By Wednesday only two ducklings remained and they seemed to know that the nest box was safe when their mother wasn't around. However, it was as if Goldeneye got bored with the whole concept of motherhood, and she left the ducklings for hours on their own. By late afternoon on Thursday only one duckling remained and Goldeneye left it swimming around on its own while she and Gobi had a 'nap'. The last I saw of the duckling it was running around our neighbour's garden while a magpie watched with interest!

Goldeneye with the first duckling out of the nest

Goldeneye had problems persuading the ducklings to leave the nest. Several of them waddled or slithered down the plank but the rest were reluctant to emerge so Goldeneye had to keep going back to the box to encourage them out.

Goldeneye checks all around to see whether it's safe to lead the ducklings from the nest box

There are many false starts before all the ducklings emerge from the box. It's great fun to watch but, if her previous form is anything to go by, none survive more than a few days. This year she had lost them all in five days. To see their 'launch' click on the link in the blog entitled "The ducklings are hatching".

On Thursday, the day Goldeneye lost her final duckling, Lonely's brood hatched and she took over Goldeneye's nursery box that evening. Mrs. Speckles' nest was abandoned on Wednesday but became a brief refuge for two ducklings the next day. We think they belonged to Lonely who hatched 10 ducklings but only had five by the following morning.

Since Friday, there have been many comings and goings in the two waterside nest boxes but no takers. The female we call Silverduck has investigated both boxes and has also spent time on our garden deck checking out Goldeneye's nest box and some of my plant pots. Much to our surprise, Goldeneye has also been back to check on her box - it probably won't be long before she starts nesting all over again!