Life On The Slea (LOTS)

God help the Dabchicks if they nest…

http://www.sleafordstandard.co.uk/news/Couple-to-set-up-rowing.6430017.jp

..note the last sentence..

“By doing it during the summer holidays the nesting should have finished.”

… when we have had Dabchicks nesting on the Slea they have ALWAYS nested during AUGUST, for example in 2008 this post…

http://www.lifeontheslea.co.uk/wp/?p=420

..shows that on August 15 the last Dabchicks had only just hatched and in 2007 this post…

http://www.lifeontheslea.co.uk/wp/?p=136

…shows the Dabs were still in the process of nesting halfway through August and this…

http://www.lifeontheslea.co.uk/wp/?m=200708

shows that Moorhens can also still be nesting nest 2/3 way through August.

So I do not believe they are correct when they say “”By doing it during the summer holidays the nesting should have finished.” — do you ???

If this goes ahead I believe that some wildlife will be killed just for a bit of fun on a rowboat, especially as it probably means that the boats can be hired by someone who has NEVER rowed before so there is a GREAT chance that they will bash into reeds etc which is exactly where Dabchicks, Moorhens and Coots like to nest

The good news is that apparently there were TWO pairs of Dabchicks on the Slea this morning, if they both stay there could be a lot of fighting as they are reasonably close together.

The BAD news is that I have been told that someone has asked permission to have 2 ROW BOATS on the Slea between the Hub and the Mill, I assume this is for a commercial ‘passenger’ ferry - I really worry for the wildlife (especially Moorhens, Coots and Dabchicks) if this goes ahead because I am sure the oars and wash will destroy their nests The Slea is TOO NARROW for boats. A rowing boat and oars will almost touch BOTH banks in places and this is also exactly also the places where Moorhens. Coots and Dabchicks prefer to build their nests because these are the only places with reeds. I also wonder if the reeds will be removed to make way for the boats

SUPRISE SUPRISE, after the Navigation Trust ‘celebrated’ the opening of the new slipway and monstrosity brigde on Sunday the dam at the weir near the Mill was taken down. So did the Navigation Trust just dam the Slea to increase the water level ‘just’ for the boats, did they give a ‘dam’ (pun intended) about reducing the water level past the Mill, did they give a ‘dam’ about the wildlife and did they give a ‘dam’ about increasing the risk of flood with the dam - I will let you decide - but UNBELIEVABLE comes to mind, or some may think ‘irresponsible’ (But not me of course ?)

This is why I get so PI$$ED off… a little while ago The Sleaford navigation Trust (I assume) asked the ‘people responsible’ for creating a dam on the Slea to stop, this was done it said because the people involved were worried about the wildlife not having enough water. This is obviously a little short-sighted because if you dam a river to bring the water level up you obviously make things worse down stream of the dam, but at least the people concerned did this with good intentions. Well the Navigation Trust (I assume again) have done EXACTLY the same by damming off the weir at Cogglesford Mill…

…but this time is it done for the right or WRONG reason ?, a more cynical person than I might think that they want a boat to go up and down the river next Sunday to ‘Celebrate’ the opening of Monstrosity Bridge and the new slipway and need the water level higher - if so this would surely be UNBELIEVABLE. But even if this dam is so that some work on the weir itself can be done, then without letting water through somewhere else the wildlife downstream of the Mill will suffer with reducing water levels even though the water level below the Mill is LOW anyway. I would also like to know why this dam is allowed because we are told that even too much weed increases the danger of floods, so this dam must increase the danger also, one rule for etc etc

Also on the Slea at the moment are many baby ducklings and Moorhens, now Moorhens have a territory and if adults are pushed out of their territory (even temporarily) into another Moorhens territory they will be attacked, but if baby Moorhens do the same they WILL be killed, and a boat going up and down a river as narrow as the Slea will cause this to happen. Also Moorhens like to nest surrounded by water and wash from a boat on a narrow river may well wash the nest way. WHY WHY WHY cant this ‘celebration’ at least be at the end of the breeding season - perhaps because the Navigation Trust do not care or perhaps because they do not realise - I know which I think.

Anyway I go down the Slea to enjoy the wildlife but increasingly find I get home in a bad mood because people just do not realise that their actions are life and death to the wildlife, so reluctantly I have decided to stop going down the Slea (at least for a while) to try and get some sanity back - the wildlife have such a hard life even on a relatively ’safe’ Slea but I just cannot bear to watch what the Navigation Trust get up to.

Unusual sighting on the Slea…

… no not really, I have just been away photographing Whales and Dolphins (along with a Leatherback Turtle and Cory´s Shearwaters etc) in the Azores. I will post a whale shot soon also Photographing Whales from a moving boat is hard, photographing Shearwaters is also hard BUT photographing wild Dolphins is REALLY hard and the above is the best I could do and for every ‘passable’ shot there were 10-15 rubbish ones.

I have therefore not been down the Slea but Allan has told me he has seen a baby Kingfisher and 2 adults, also some baby Grey Wagtails have fledged near the Mill.

It was Kingfisher Heaven on the Slea today… first we saw a Kingfisher, then we saw a Kingfisher, then we saw a Kingfisher, then we saw TWO Kingfishers and then we saw a Kingfisher AGAIN I was also told (but have no proof) that Baby Kingfishers have been seen recently on the Slea, the ones we saw today I believe were all Adult Kingfishers.

Another one from thearchives…

I have not seen the Coot for a while, perhaps (s)he has flown ? Some of the Ducklings are getting quite big now, also some that are just a day or so old are on the river. Most of the baby Moorhens seem to be doing well but nothing much else happening at the moment.

I saw the ‘first’ second brood of Moorhens on the Slea today near the Mill, it looks like only one of the first brood survived.

A Duck was minding its own business with 8-10 ducklings who were only a couple of days old, when 4-5-6 males set apon her, if they kill her, which is quite possible, then the ducklings are also doomed 1/4 (or 25%) of all Female Mallards are killed (mostly drowned) each year by Male Mallards gang raping them I have said this before… if you believe in reincarnation and also get a choice of what to come back as, DO NOT say ‘Female Mallard’, they really do have a very tough time

The Coot is still around there are some ducklings that are getting quite big now, but we do not seem to have had as many Ducklings as previous years. Also still quite a few baby Moorhens up and down the river and at least 1 on the pond.

One from the archives…

I had good views of the Kingfisher today and I watched as he caught a fish…

…the Coot is still around and there are quite a few baby Moorhens up and down the Slea at the moment. I did also see what is probably the only surviving baby Moorhen from the first brood near the Mill, he is quite big now.