Mon Dec 25, 2006
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas... a view of Cogglesford Mill in the snow last year...
... I saw all the usual today, 7 Dabchicks, RCP and the 3 ducks I always look out for and feed, 1 can only see out of 1 eye, 1 cant paddle very well because his legs dont bend ? and 1 has a bad foot which is turned back and underneath, but I gave them all their 'Christmas dinner' :) Amonst other things I also feed a Robin near Cogglesford Mill bend (only during the winter) and he/she must have seen me coming today as he was patiently waiting on the back of a seat as I wandered up :)
Terry
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Fri Dec 22, 2006
Where did these come from...
I saw 3 young mallards at the Hub today, they still had some of their downy duckling feathers on their back so I would guess that they are about 8 weeks old. I have not seen them before and they certainly cant fly, so how did they get on the Slea. There is only 2 possibilities to my mind, they 'might' have come from upstream through the town from Sleaford Castle way, or perhaps someone has put them in the Slea (a breeder ???) who has no use for them ???
This is the second day in a row that I have watched TWO Kingfishers almost side by side, yesterday they were sitting on the same branch, today they were also on the same branch but at 1 time they came together in what looked like a fight. I am not sure if it was a fight or not as once over they remained 'together' with about 10 feet between them for quite a while without an obvious 'loser'. Could it have been courtship ???
Terry
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Tue Dec 19, 2006
What a sight...
What a sight, I was standing on the bank near Cogglesford looking straight across the Slea to a Kingfisher about 15 feet up in a tree, he/she took a dive from there into the middle of the river straight towards me. There was a big splash as he/she hit the water surface and then it flew a little downstream and rested in another tree. I am not sure if the Kingfisher caught a fish or not, but I do know that this was my best sight ever of a Kingfisher diving into the water. The Slea is not very wide at all so you can imagine how close I was when it entered the water half way across the river right in front of me :) :) :)
I also saw all 7 Dabchicks and the RCP :)
Terry
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Sun Dec 17, 2006
General agreement that its a...
There is general agreement that the RCP is a female as opposed to a juvenile and it was still on the Slea this morning. Although smaller than most of the other ducks she sticks up for herself very well.
I only saw 6 of the Dabchicks this morning but I saw all 7 yesterday, I hope they stay all year and breed again on the Slea in 2007. 5 of them (I assume this years 3 youngsters and 2 parents) are much more tolerate of humans that the 2 near Cogglesford bend.
Yesterday I have a great view of a Kingfisher who was perched in Cogglesford lock, it stayed a while even when someone else came and stood on the bridge looking straight down the lock, so this one is getting quite tolerant of man.
Here is a picture of one of the sparrows I feed on my travels up/down the Slea...
Terry
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Mon Dec 11, 2006
Still there...
The RCP is still around and I also saw all 7 Dabchicks again today. Yesterday I saw the Kingfisher sitting on Cogglesford Lock wall and when he/she saw me it didnt fly off, so it/they do seem to be getting more tolerant of people. I also saw 5-6 Long Tail Tits Down stream from Cogglesford.
Terry
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Fri Dec 08, 2006
We have an RCP again...
We have a Red Crested Pochard on the Slea again...
I am not sure at the moment if it is a Female or a Male as last year we had an RCP arrive in early October and at the time it was thought to be a female...
...however it turned out to be a male...
Last year the RCP stayed from early October (2005) until Early March (2006) so it will be interesting to see how long this one stays. It seems very friendly and takes bread so I dont think it is 'wild' and may come from Leasingham although it doesnt have any rings on its legs.
Terry
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Mon Dec 04, 2006
Still 7...
I saw 7 Dabcicks also today, however this is the first time in a week that I have seen all 7 in one pass. There does not appear to be any more Mink droppings in the Mill at the moment so hopefully they were just 'passing'. I really hope they dont return next spring when little ones will be around like they did this year.
Terry
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Mon Nov 27, 2006
Ok so there are...
OK so they are still 7 Dabchicks :) I saw all 7 today, 1 'pair' at Cogglesford Mill corner and 5 between the leisure Centre and 'Quackers', at a guess these 5 are 2 parents and 3 youngsters as they all seemed reasonably happy with the others being nearby.
On a more negative note, it looks like Mink droppings have been found in the Mill again, they do at least look a few weeks old which hopefully means they have moved on again. If they are still around then it is a very bad sign for the rest of the Slea wildlife.
Terry
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Sun Nov 19, 2006
Getting closer...
I am getting closer to the Kingfisher (or should I say '1 of the Kingfishers') :) This one is a female as the lower mandible is orange. She was on a twig just upstream from Cogglesford Mill, however although still 'shy', she does now sometimes let people walk by on the opposite bank path without taking flight, which is where I was to take this. Even with a 400mm lens she is still not that big in the frame and I think this is the closest I will get to a Kingfisher unless I am in a hide somewhere.
Only saw 5 dabchicks today, so it is 'weeks' since I have seen 7 and am wondering again if only 6 remain.
Terry
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Fri Nov 17, 2006
Best yet...
Still not near enough but this is my best Kingfisher so far...
... he was just upstream of Cogglesford, a place where I have never seen one perched before. I know this is a 'he' because the underneath of the bottom mandible is black where a female is orange.
I saw 6 Dabchicks but 'heard' another one, but I still havnt SEEN 7 for a long time.
Terry
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Mon Nov 13, 2006
A close encounter...
I had a close encounter today.... with a KINGFISHER :) I saw the Kingfisher on a branch at least 150 feet way and stood still while I worked out how to get closer without it seeing me. I needed had bothered because it then flew from the branch upstream in my direction, keeping still and watching it I was 'gob smacked' when it landed on a branch only 15 feet away, giving me great views of it perched there. I wanted to take a photograph but knew any movement would probably scare it away. so I keep still just taking the view in for 20-30 seconds before I started to very slowly raise my camera, I got it to about chest level and then the Kingfisher flew away. Although a little 'miffed' that I didnt get a photograph I am still very pleased to have seen the Kingfisher at close quarters, certainly closer than I have ever seen one perched before.
Also saw 6 Dabchicks and no swans.
Terry
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Sun Nov 12, 2006
I am seeing the...
I am seeing the Kingfishers quite a lot lately, not just past Cogglesford but also along the stretch between Quackers and the LC Bridge. This is one of them near Cogglesford today, not a very good photo but I couldnt get very near before he flew off...
No swans again but saw 6 of the Dabchicks.
Terry
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Mon Nov 06, 2006
I am convinced...
I am convinced that there are only 6 Dabchicks between the Hub and Cogglesford Mill. Over a number of days I have wandered up and down for relatively long periods and have only seen 6, and if I make the assumption that only a 'pair' of adult Dabchicks make the 'funny laugh' greeting sound, I think there is a pair of adults near the Cogglesford bend (they have been there for some months) and a 'pair' of parents that reared this years youngsters. Today I saw 2 Dabchicks at Cogglesford bend and 4 Dabchicks together near quackers, 2 made the 'laugh' so I think they are the parents and the other 2 are their youngsters. All this is just an educated guess but I think it is more than likely to be true. So what has happened to the other youngster and the lone adult that was also around ?
The swans tend to come and go, they were here this morning. When they first arrived on the Slea, the cygnets didnt seem to realise that people were throwing bread for them to eat, they just totally ignored it, but the adults certainly knew it was food. I personally think that the probable reason for this is that they were hatched/reared somewhere mainly away from man so didnt realise that food was being thrown to them. The cygnets have quickly learned that free food is good and take it as eagerly as the parents now.
Terry
COMMENT 11/10/2006
Hi, Terry just to update you I saw 7 Dabchicks today both going up and down river but have seen nothing of the swans for a few days.
Regards Graham
Thanks Graham, that is very interesting, its nice to know 7 are still around. I havnt seen the swans for a few days either.
Terry
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Thu Nov 02, 2006
I have not seen...
I have not seen many Dabchicks lately, today I spent a long time looking up and down and managed to see 6. I do not think that I would have missed 2 Dabchicks given the time I spent looking for them so my personal feeling is that at least the 'eighth' Dabchick has gone, perhaps there are still 7 but I would like to see all 7 just to put my mind at rest about the 'seventh'. Five were up near the Hub today which is the most I have seen there all at one time.
The swans were not around at first and then I saw them overhead, all 5 landed but 3 of them landed right in front of me but there was too much tall vegetation to get a shot of them landing.
I did see some Goldfinches on the teasle...
Terry
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Fri Oct 27, 2006
A conundrum...
A conundrum... I have only seen 7 Dabchicks all week, however someone told me that they had spoken to someone who saw a Dabchick downstream of Cogglesford, exactly where I do not know, but if true this open up a number of possibilities.
The 'eighth' Dabchick may have gone downstream, I did see a couple of Dabchicks next to Mill race so this is a possibility.
The 'over the weir' Dabchick may have come back.
One of the Dabchicks may have gone downstream for a look around but returned.
The most unlikely possibility is that a new Dabchick arrived downstream of Cogglesford.
We may never know which one is for real, but I am getting more resigned to the fact that there is only 7 as each day I fail to see the eighth. One thing that makes deciding which one is missing is the fact that they are all starting to look similar e.g. the 'babies' are getting a more adult look/colour and the 2 Parents (if both are still around?) are losing the distinctive copper neck.
I also saw the Swans this morning which is the first time since Sunday.
Terry
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Life On The Slea - Photography from the banks of the river Slea, Sleaford, Lincs mainly from the Hub to Cogglesford Mill.
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