Winners, losers and the return of the prodigal swan

Mouthwatering fruit & vegetables

It's that time of year again - the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show week. Set in the wonderful venue of Home Park and in view of Cardinal Wolsey's (and subsequently Henry VIII's) magnificent palace, the show is a visual feast. This year in particular the word feast springs to mind, with the emphasis on growing and cooking an array of fruit and vegetables.

Joe Swift chats with a delighted award- winning garden designer

Dorset Cereals Edible Playground garden is an inspiration to those thinking of starting vegetable plots in schools, inspiring children to grow their own fruit and vegetables. It also gets them thinking about where their food comes from . I believe it won best of show. It is full of edible plants offering colour, texture and taste and incorporating many environmental features.

The Thai floating market stand

This colourful spectacle, on the banks of the Long Water, is proving very popular with the public, who are able to buy a selection of Thai goods such as fans and hand-painted umbrellas.

The Spirits' Garden

This vibrant garden contains spiritual and symbolic elements, using reflective mirrors to reverse the world as we see it. The plants have been selected for their texture or their fragrance, and many have been handed down through generations. It is intended primarily for solitary contemplation, meditation and relaxation.

Bidou's back!

We may never discover where Bidou disappeared to for the breeding season but she's back, minus any cygnets, if she did manage to breed successfully. Our family of mute swans aren't best pleased at her reappearance and even the cob drives her off. Earlier in the year it seemed like he was a little partial to her flattering attention but, now that he has a family, he's taking his responsibilities seriously! As they are the only 'relatives' in the area she tags along behind them and calls mournfully when she is driven away.

One of this year's winners

The attrition rate for ducklings, baby coots and young grebes this year is dreadful once again. The Herring Gulls pick them off at leisure and what they don't grab the pike, herons and crows take. This is one clever mallard to have managed to keep four for this long but then she's incredibly wary and constantly alert. The ducklings have taken to climbing up our swimming ladder onto the deck in order to be fed and then they curl up together on a coir mat for a kip. It's so lovely to at least see one set of survivors.

A gentle sunset looking towards Hampton Church on the main river

We haven't had too many good evenings this year so when we do we try to get out in the boat for an evening meander round the islands. It's mid July and quite cold for the time of year, which means that the river probably won't warm up enough for swimming by the autumn.

Golden Eye with her last surviving duckling

When we came back from the Mijas Blues Festival our two nesting mallards had already hatched their young. The one we call "snake duck" had nine ducklings but lost them all within two days, and Golden Eye hatched seven. There were no signs of either ducks nor ducklings when we arrived home, but to my amazement Golden Eye was sitting in the lower deck nesting box with two ducklings. She'd obviously decided that it would do nicely as a nursery! We were thrilled to see that she still had two ducklings but after three days one of them disappeared and the other only lasted four more days. We were just beginning to hope that it might make it to adulthood. It was most amusing to watch her rounding them up at night and marching them up the plank to bed. Frequently she made at least four attempts before they would follow her to bed. Never one to give up Golden Eye has now decided to try for a third brood this year and has adopted the riverside nesting box with ramp as her preferred accommodation. "Snake duck" meanwhile has littered the patio deck with earth again having returned to her 'chimney pot' on the top deck. They are both currently sitting on at least six eggs each.

What happened to the seven baby coots?

The coots have had a hard time of it this year. Their nest was partially washed way with some of the eggs but they still managed to hatch 7 youngsters. They look so comical with their punk hair styles. The seven survived for about a week and then four disappeared one day, two the next and the last one the following day. I know that a pike lurks close to where they were nesting and presume that it was probably the main culprit.

One of the rare colourful sunsets of the summer season

Where's the fourth?

Three cygnets hang around while a fourth undergoes the indignity of being handled by humans. Their parents reared out of the water at us, which is quite threatening when you're holding one of their young and it's calling out plaintively to its mum and dad. When the family came for a spot of breakfast I spotted a large float twisted round it's wing and leg. I managed to grab the young swan from the river before being attacked and, while Dave held it I freed the line. Unfortunately it had swallowed the hook and it was too far down its throat for me to deal with so I called the local experts, Peter and Addie, and they popped down armed with the right equipment.

Addie holding the cygnet while Peter prepares to cut the line

Fortunately it was a very fine hook and although it was too far down the cygnet's throat to do anything without damaging the tissue Peter decided that it was probably safe to cut the line. I promised to keep an eye on the cygnet over the following days in case it showed signs of losing its appetite, but there appeared to be no ill effects. The cob made several attempts to attack first us and then Peter and Addie, but soon settled down once the cygnet was put back in the river. The four are thriving so it obviously coped with the tiny hook but the line would have been fatal had it not been cut away and disposed of.

Dad tries to impress us with his size and strength

Once the cygnet was released the cob 'attacked' Peter and Addie several more times and then followed them upstream with his wings flared in warning. Fortunately memories are short and the cygnets visit 6 or 7 times a day, with Bidou hovering in the background. In fact, they've just visited and to my amazement Bidou thought her luck had changed when the cob appeared to attempt to mount her. Unfortunately (or not) depending on viewpoint, he gave her a few sharp nips on the neck and when she realised that this was more of an attack than an amorous approach she 'shrieked' and made a bid for freedom! After chasing her off for a few moments they both started preening and the cob returned to his family.

Newcomers and old favourites

Male Red-Crested Pochard

Preening Pochard

Mr. & Mrs. Red-Crested Pochard

This pair of Red-Crested Pochards have been on the river for about five weeks now and occasionally swim by, but they decided to stop off on our plank last week and were surprisingly tame. I should imagine they're visitors from the Woodland Gardens at Bushy Park.

Male Mandarin duck

This male Mandarin duck is still in fine plumage but one or two of the other male Mandarins that visit are looking decidedly sorry for themselves as they moult and lose their fine feathers.

The missing cygnet

During the week I was upset to discover that our swans only had three cygnets. Later that day, an islander called to say she'd found a cygnet on its own and rescued it. Peter & Addie Bayliff, who are so generous with their time and knowledge of wildlife spent several hours looking for the parents and the rest of the family but couldn't locate them. I was asked if I'd look after the cygnet and reunite it with its siblings the next time the swans visited. Dave and I then got a call to say that the lock keeper at Molesey lock had spotted the swans by the weir so we took the cygnet to the lock in our boat. We carefully made our way down the boat rollers with his help (armed with half a sandwich) and tried to attract the family of swans over to us. The cygnet was calling but the wind carried its calls away from the swans and we were concerned that if we put the cygnet in the river it might not join up with the rest of them. However, the lock keeper's sandwich did the trick and as the cob (male swan) headed over we launched the cygnet. To our relief and delight, they met midstream and then the pen swam over with the other three to join them. It was such a relief and there were hugs all round!

Was this the 'one that got away' for a day?

It's been great to see all four cygnets with mum and dad again and I've tried to work out which one we rescued but it's impossible to tell which was the recalcitrant one.

Grooming time for a Great Crested Grebe

Sorting out its wing feathers

The grebes have continued to use our plank for courtship but less frequently now. We were puzzled by the fact that during mating they reversed roles most days but we have since learned that it's quite common for grebes generally to practice reverse mounting.

Injured Tufted Duck

I spotted this male tufted duck staggering around the garden like a drunk and guess it must have been struck hard with an oar by one of the many rowers in this area. It was so sad to watch it arching up and tottering over, time and time again. If I 'd been able to 'rescue' it without harming it I would have done so but I didn't want it to return to the river until it had recovered. Eventually it jumped down of its own accord and swam away so I can only hope that it made a full recovery.

Egyptian Goose

Three years ago it was rare to see Egyptian Geese on this stretch of the river but now there are rather more than is good for our indigenous wildlife. Just as the Canada Goose took over and bred far too successfully, so the Egyptian Geese are now becoming too numerous.

Life and death on the river

Great crested grebes just after mating

We've been away on The Isles of Scilly and when we returned it was to the joy of finding a pair of grebes frequenting our floating platform. We've never had grebes haul out before and to watch them courting and mating is quite a privilege. I've never seen a grebe out of water except when it's on a nest so it's fascinating to watch them at such close quarters. These two had just finished mating and the male slithered down her back into the river.

The male's second attempt at mating

The courtship is amazing, lots of head flicking - they mirror each other's movements. I haven't seen these two perform the dance they do after the male proffers his mate some muddy leaves or a feather, but presumably that happens when they're nest building and we're not sure where their nest is . We think it's upstream from us.

A sign of affection?

After mating the male grebe left his foot draped around his partner's neck. It almost looks like a human gesture but I'm putting my own interpretation on the gesture!

What a fine crest

It's easy to see how Great Crested Grebes' feathers were sort after to adorn ladies' hats last century. So many grebes were killed for their crests that they were put on the endangered species list in the UK. Fortunately, they have now made a come-back and we have a healthy population in our area.

One of four surviving cygnets

Our resident swans' young family

A sleepy cygnet

The kids with their dad

While we were away the swans hatched 9 or 10 cygnets but there were only four survivors by the time we returned. They are so lovely and are growing all too quickly. At least they are less likely to be taken by the herring gulls or the crows as they get bigger.

Sadly, our resident duck "Golden Eye" lost all seven ducklings within two days of hatching them. We watched some of them hatch on the day before we left for the Scilly Isles, and had to keep rescuing a recalcitrant one that kept leaving the nest. Twice it fell to the lower deck and I had to carry it back to its nest on the garden deck upstairs. "Golden Eye" wasn't amused and huffed and puffed at me. In the end we put a brick in front of the nest box opening so that the ducklings couldn't escape until mum was ready for them all. The next morning she tried a dozen or so times to get them out of the nest but only a couple would follow her. When most of them were out and had flopped to the lower deck and launched themselves into the river we gave the others a helping hand so that all seven joined their mum in the water. Apparently only two were seen the following day, one of which was grabbed by a crow. The remaining one may well have met the same fate.

"Golden Eye" is now sitting on eggs again but a magpie grabbed one while she was off the nest yesterday and we're now having to keep an eye on things. It's amazing that it dares to enter the nest box and raid the eggs. We've placed a decoy duck on top of the nesting box and hope that it will deter the magpie.

Wildlife from home and away

Pelican with fish

After a long bout of bronchitis it was wonderful to escape the English winter and experience some Florida sunshine and exotic wildlife. Ironically, it was so cold for the first two days that we had to buy fleeces and wear our windproof jackets! After that the weather settled and we enjoyed exploring Nature Trails, strolling along shorelines, listening to the sounds of the ocean and, on our last night, watching the launch of the space shuttle challenger.

A great white heron with lunch

It's amazing to watch, first the stalking and then the successful lunge. This heron took its time over swallowing the fish, carefully positioning it before letting it slide down its throat.

A yellow crowned night heron

During our holiday we visited The Ding Darling wildlife sanctuary on beautiful Sanibel Island.
Sadly, there seems far less birdlife here than there was five years ago. The same was true of The Everglades. We gather it's partly because of the habitat damage done by hurricanes Wilma and Katrina, but also because of the lack of fresh water. With so many people moving to Florida each week that can only get worse I should imagine.

A red -shouldered hawk hunting

We had the pleasure of watching this magnificent hawk hunt for insects, lizards and snakes right in front of us for half an hour. It would fly from a nearby tree and land in the grass near our feet before heading back to a tree. It didn't seem the least bothered by our presence.

An osprey heading back to its nest

We came across an osprey nest in the autumn and hoped to be able to photograph its young on the nest but we were just two days too late. However, there was another nest nearby, though far less easy to photograph, so we had to content ourselves with watching the birds in flight.

A cormorant with an impressive catch

It was a rather grey day when we spotted this cormorant so the colours lack vibrance but its performance with this fish made up for that. It took ages to 'prepare' the fish prior to swallowing it but we gather it has to do this because of the spines on the fish.

A great egret dealing with an itch

These egrets look so lovely with their breeding plumage. This one was fishing only a few feet away from some large alligators. I was told that one of the alligators had managed to take a great blue heron the day before but the egret seemed indifferent unless a gator got really close.

An anhinga in breeding plumage

When we visited The Everglades in 2003 we saw so many of these fabulous 'snake' birds but there were considerably fewer this year and, apparently, none nesting along The Anhinga Trail a couple of years ago. They are given the nick name 'snake bird' because their long necks look like snakes underwater.

An osprey hoping to spot a fish

An alligator having a yawn

I watched this gator for at least half an hour and at one point when it yawned I could see right down its throat.

A great blue heron having a cautious scratch

The heron never took its eyes off a gator that was gradually moving closer and closer to where the bird was perched. When it got too near the heron squawked and flew to a higher branch.

A yawning anhinga

A brown pelican in flight

A great egret with its catch

I spotted the egret on a beach below as I was walking along a pier. I saw that it was about to 'strike' and was fascinated to watch how it dealt with its catch. Sometimes it would drop it by the water's edge but then pick it up again and re-position it. It took nearly five minutes before finally swallowing the fish.

The island garden after a snow fall in april

We've been having some very odd weather in the last couple of weeks, one day warm and the next few chilly. Today we had snow which looked lovely but didn't last.

Our resident mallard heading back to her nest

Every year 'Goldeneye" nests on our top deck and she now gives us a hard time if we don't get her nest box out in time. This year we asked a friend to build some proper nesting boxes but she wasn't prepared to wait for them to arrive so we had to dig out her old plastic box. We didn't have any straw or hay to put in it so she kept stomping up to the French windows and looking in at us with a resentful expression. In the end, I went to the local stables and cadged some old straw but she wasn't keen on the smell of manure. Nor did she like the shredded paper that Dave tried out on her! I gave in and made a special trip to the shops to get her some meadow hay. As soon as I'd removed the old straw and replaced it with the new she went straight in and starting shaping her nest. The ducklings are due to hatch on or around April 20th we hope, though we have reason to think that she or her mate might be infertile.

A view from the island bridge in late March

A male tufted duck in the early morning sunshine

Mandarin ducks heading for my feeding station

We don't know where these two are nesting but they fly in regularly for breakfast, lunch and supper. Several other male mandarin ducks also turn up and try to impress the female with their magnificent displays, to no avail!

Misty mornings, great sunsets and swan fights

February sunset

The weather has been gorgeous for some time and we've had some wonderful sunrises as well as sunsets. Ironically, I've been laid low with bronchitis and haven't been able to get out with the camera during this time. The view from the bridge onto the island would have been spectacular had I been able to get out.

Territorial battles are hotting up for the Spring

The dominant pair of mute swans patrol this stretch of the river regularly and drive off any other swans foolish enough to stray into their territory, especially the younger ones. Bidou, the black swan, is allowed to keep them company and she sometimes drives off other mute swans too. Another black swan appears from time to time but Bidou prefers the company of her mute mates and consistently drives it away.

An early morning stretch in the mist

It's beautiful to watch the swans preening and then stretching and flapping their wings. Sometimes they do it in unison. I've been wanting to get a particular image for years now but I'm sure the swans know this and wait till I don't have the camera to hand before they oblige! One day I'll get the image I want but it's obviously going to take patience.

Thunder thighs in the pond

This is our 'pet' coot, if coots can ever be said to be 'pets'. It has lost its mate and is probably quite old now, and certainly not tolerated by the local dominant pair. It seems to be somewhat arthritic, but manages to thunder along the deck to greet us when we're dispensing wheat for the swans and ducks. Hence the nickname "Thunder Thighs".

Our dominant mute swans on the warpath

When you see the swans with their wings raised like this they are displaying. When they're courting they flare their wings at each other and they do likewise when they warn others off their territory. Swans weigh surprisingly little for their size but you'd never guess it when you see the way they power their way through the water with tremendous force when they're on the attack.

Double click on any of the images to enlarge them.