...meanwhile next door...
...and on the water...
...overhead...
...while elsewhere...
The Oystercatchers were not seen, or indeed, heard today.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Family life at Killy
Our Great Crested Grebes were showing a great deal of interest in the floating reedbed this morning
...they decide to do a bit of pole vaulting first...
...bored with this they finally start climbing aboard...
...things start getting a bit fruity...
...i get talking to a local resident who has observed the lake for a number of years. While no bird expert she gives some interesting information on observations she has made over the last couple of years. After a few minutes i turn to look at the GCG's and this is what i find...
...their first egg !!!
...the egg is inspected to see if it has a little lion on...
...meanwhile next door...
...this Coot family are progressing nicely...
...and on the water...
...the Mallard ducklings seem happy enough ( mum was in close attendance )...
...overhead...
...a Common Tern looks down on the happy families...
...while elsewhere...
...a Cormorant kept an eye on the Tern.
The Oystercatchers were not seen, or indeed, heard today.
...meanwhile next door...
...and on the water...
...overhead...
...while elsewhere...
The Oystercatchers were not seen, or indeed, heard today.
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Great story and pics John. I can post comments OK from work but at home the Comment as: box does not show on anyones blog - anybody know whats going wrong
ReplyDeleteJohn
Your article made me smile this morning, good to see things progressing nicely. Love the photo's
ReplyDeleteMichelle
This is a brill post John. It must be a great place for birds as there's certainly a variety to be seen. I don't think I would ever tire of seeing piccys of the Great Crested Grebes; they're such elegant birds. I'm looking forward to seeing what their babies look like. :)
ReplyDelete"..the egg is inspected to see if it has a little lion on..." LOL!
The baby coots, to me, look like little ostriches!
To Codder John: Hi John. The settings must be different on your home computer. Sometimes there's a comment box and sometimes there's just a link saying 'post comment', which you can click to leave your comment. You have to look carefully for it as it's easily missed. It's down at the end of the person's post but it's not very noticeable. I hope this helps.
Thank you John,
ReplyDeleteTawny Owl eluded me last 2 mornings. Loads of Whitethroats & Sedgies at Prestwick this morning (Thurs). I called at Killy first on the way, bad move hit the traffic.
Hi Michelle,
I very happy that i made you smile. I love my birding, but i don't think you should take anything too seriously. I always try to see the bright side of things and if i made someone smile thays fantastic. It makes ME smile.
Cheers
Lesley,
You will love the GCG's bairns when they appear. They take 28 days to hatch and both parents takes turns to sit on them. If they do both leave the eggs (which are laid over a number of days) they cover them with reeds or weeds. Its great to see the tiny young of all birds. The Coots, i agree , could be little Ostriches, but they are very vulnerable. There has been a Grey Heron hanging about apparently and this has been picking off the young Mallard ducklings. You saw 9 or 10 in the pic above, well thats a normal amount for Mallards and already a pair are sadly on the water with only 2, the others will have perished. An awful thought but that's nature.
On the subject of Killingworth, i'm sure anyone reading your comments will have a smile on their faces. Without upsetting anybody, what i can say is that they do have a problem the under age drinking etc locally and its quite an urban environment. Although despie all this you can get some interesting birds visiting from time to time. I must say that i do enjoy my visits there. More GCG's will follow, i called past this morning briefly and the Grebes are settled.
Anyway thanks for your comments they are appreciated, its amazing to think that anyone reads this drivel!.......and remember you'll get more waffling than warbling here, i'll leave that to the birds.
John
"There has been a Grey Heron hanging about apparently and this has been picking off the young Mallard ducklings." I very often get upset at this kind of thing but as you say John, it's nature and I have to remind myself that every creature's aim is survival. I used to be devastated whenever a Sparrowhawk had a meal in our garden, then I read about how many Sparrowhawks don't survive the Winter because of hunger. Now I try to be more philosophical.
ReplyDeleteRe Killingworth..... our town's like that too. One of the favourite hobbies of the human wildlife is knocking out windows in the high street on a Saturday night! Yet, there are fabulous places within walking distance where you can revel in the beauty of nature. :)
I think you may have given me a new phrase......inhumane WILDlife, just about sums up most of society, not just the young 'uns. I'm not an old cynic, i see myself as a realist. Miserable git some might say.
ReplyDeleteJohn
Nah, not a miserable git but someone sensitive to the nastier side of society. There are many of us, thank goodness. :)
ReplyDelete