Archives: March 2007
Sat Mar 31, 2007
I saw 3 little...
UPDATE
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This afternoon it was warmer so I went to see if the baby Moorhens were out the nest and they were BUT there are 6 babies not 5 :) Here are 4 of them, again not a good photo but I dont want to get toooooooooo near...
Terry
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I saw 3 little moorhens out of their nest this morning, I am hoping that the other 2 were somewhere in the reeds. I dont try and get too close as this attracts ducks etc towards the little ones and they could be injured, so I cant get any decent photos of them yet but I would rather be 'safe' than 'sorry'.
Saw 3 coots today and a Dabchick, this Robin also is fairly tame and lives past the Mill...
Terry
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Thu Mar 29, 2007
Baby Moorhens...
COMMENT
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Terry, just to let you know I saw 5 moorhen chicks up by the mill yesterday afternoon, only seeing 1 Dab at the moment though, regards Graham
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Thanks very much for that Graham, I didnt get down yesterday but I shall now be on my way in the next few minutes, thanks again for the info, I will see if I can get a picture of them :)
Terry
UPDATE
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I went down the Slea this morning but didnt see the little Moorhens that Graham saw, however the mother Moorhen on the nest seemed to have her wings out a little so I think she was probably keeping the little ones warm as it is not a very nice day. Hope to see them soon, but as I mentioned below somewhere, I am a little concerned for the little ones as the male Coot next door is quite aggressive even with the adult Moorhens, so when he is looking after his little ones and a baby Moorhen comes near I dread to think what may happen - just hope it doesn't.
Terry
ANOTHER UPDATE
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This afternoon was slightly warmer so I went down the Slea again and saw 3 of the baby Moorhens that Graham mentioned under the wing of their mother, just hope the other 2 are also there :)
Not a very good photo but it does show 2 of the first babies on the Slea this year...
Terry
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Wed Mar 28, 2007
I have just read...
I have just read in the Target that the New Street bridge is to be replaced with a lifting bridge so that eventually boats can pass and moor at the Hub. Although it may be a long way off, I wonder if the people of Sleaford really want boats traveling along this part of the Slea if they are told that you can either have boats OR numerous forms of wildlife because you will not get both as the Slea is far too narrow and the wash from the boats will wash away any Moorhen, Coot, Dabchick ETC ETC nests along with any eggs or young that happen to be in it. I personally wish the Navigational Trust along with the Water Weekend Committee would just leave the river to the wildlife who have a hard enough time surviving without them adding more problems.
Terry
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Mon Mar 26, 2007
For about 2 months I have 'known'....
For about 2 months I have 'known' this Blackbird...
... you can see he has a very bad foot, but he seems to be surviving ok and every time I see him I make sure I feed him :)
Today I saw lots of Moorhens, only 3 Coots, 1 Dabchick, no RCP, oh and the odd Mallard here and there :)
Terry
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Sun Mar 25, 2007
Im a little concerned...
Im a little concerned about the Coots near Cogglesford, both (but especially the male) are very aggressive to the Moorhens that are/will nest each side of the Coots nest. This is quite natural as the Coot wants to protect his mate and any youngsters that they may have. However, if the Coots are as aggressive as they are now, they will be even more aggressive when they have their young and any baby Moorhens that get too near may well be killed - hope not but it may well happen.
Terry
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Mon Mar 19, 2007
Nothing unusual...
Nothing unusual today, still 2 Dabs, 5 Coots and NO RCP. One of the Coots was upstream of the Hub which is the farthest upstream I have seen lately. Also one of the Coots that 'live' between the Leisure Centre and Cogglesford Corner, ventured just past the corner which was a little to near the other pair and the male decided to 'escort' it back into its own territory, as can be seen here...
Terry
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Fri Mar 16, 2007
Today there were 2...
Today there were 2 Dabchicks on the Slea, its the first time I have seen more than 1 for some time. GOOD NEWS also is that I saw (and fed) 'Stiff legs' who I was getting a bit concerned about as I hadn't seen him for a few weeks.
Female Mallard slowing down before landing today...
I have not seen the Red Crested Pochard (RCP) for about a week and wonder if she has gone looking for other RCP's ? It will be a shame if she has gone for good :(
Terry
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Sun Mar 11, 2007
I saw 2 Kingfishers...
I saw 2 Kingfishers today sitting a few feet apart, one was certainly male but I am not sure about the other. After a while one approached the other and they 'fell' to the ground together and then 1 flew away and the other one followed. I assume this was a fight and not a mating ?
Still 5 Coots and 1 Dabchick seen. I also fed 'one foot' and 'one eye' but it is a long time since I have seen 'stiff legs' so I am hoping nothing bad has happened to him.
Mallard coming into land...
Terry
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Sat Mar 10, 2007
Basket case...
Is this duck a 'basket case' ? she must have been looking for a nesting site and was gone when I returned :)
After trying to work out what the Coots were doing for a couple of days, it looks like we have 5 Coots on the Slea now, presumably the 1 from the pond has come across as I havn't seen 1 on the pond for a few days.
The other day I saw 1 Dabchick on the pond but today I only saw 1 on the Slea and I have not seen the RCP for a couple of days either ?
Terry
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Tue Mar 06, 2007
Moorhens are starting to nest...
Some Moorhens are starting to nest. Isaw 2 Dabchicks today, 1 near Cogglesford and at the back of the Barge and Bottle.
There are still 5 (hopefully 6) Coots and the RCP is still around.
Mallard coming into land today...
Terry
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Mon Mar 05, 2007
Now at least 5...
There are now at least 5 Coots around, 1 pair near Cogglesford Mill, 1 pair between Cogglesford corner and the Leisure Centre bridge and 1 (but probably another pair) on the pond. The 2 pairs on the Slea were fighting this morning but it looks to me as though the boundary of each territory will be the Cogglesford bend.
One Coot flying to chase another today...
Also saw 3 Dabchicks and the RCP :)
Terry
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Fri Mar 02, 2007
Still 2 on the...
There are still 2 coots on the pond and 2 near Cogglesford so hopefully this year we may have more than the single baby Coot that was reared last year on the Slea.
2 Dabchicks near Cogglesford and 1 upstream near the Leisure Centre but I have not seen 2 together, except for the 2 near Cogglesford, for quite a while so I wonder why I am not seeing still the pair that raised their young here last year ?
The RCP is also still around and Moorhens seem to be starting to build nests.
Terry
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