Male tufted duck taking a napWe'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 rivalThe 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 breakfastThe 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 upstreamOn 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.
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.
5 comments:
lovely to hear that your duck is nesting and has 10 eggs. Bidou is a fav of ours too. We have just seen a mink ( or was it an otter), very exciting as new comers to the island
Hi Annie, Lonely has at least 15 eggs and is sitting permanently now and, apparently Bidou is nesting in the lagoon.
I hope it was an otter that you saw and not a mink. Otters are fabulous. Minks may look lovely but they kill so much wildlife. There's a video link on one of my older blogs, from about two years ago I think, of a mink attacking a mute swan outside our boat.
Unfortunately think it was a mink as he/she was attempting to kill the geese and really frightened our coots oof their nest.
Hi Suellen
Your blog is fab! I might start one of my own. Taggs Island is fantastic. We love it.
Could you possibly tell me where to look for your video of the mink?
Hi Annie, I'm really sorry to hear that it's probably a mink - we endured three over several years and they killed so many ducks, coots, moorhens and tufted ducks.
The link to my mink footage (rather shaky as it was the first time I used a video camera) is in the archive footage of my blog on 28th June 2007. If you look at the side of the blog it lists older blogs and you can find it from there.
So glad you like my blog and I think it's a great idea that you start one of your own. It will give a different view of the island etc. Yes, it's soooo good living here, surrounded by wildlife.
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