First the update, Alan rang me on Saturday to say that we were now down to 10 ducklings and the Dabchicks hadn’t been seen for a few days. It would not surprise me if the dabchicks vanished as they did the same at the beginning of April last year, to return later and breed, however today we saw 2 Dabchicks, although they didn’t seem to be a pair so I am unsure exactly what is going on with them. I saw 10 Ducklings on Sunday so they survived all the snow but today we were down to 9, although I think mum is doing a good job to have kept 9 of 14 with all the bad/cold weather we have had recently. I saw ‘one eye’, ‘stiff legs’ and ‘lucky’ so they are still around 
and the 2 Coots seemed to be building a nest, however I think Coots are well known for starting one nest and then another…..
Now the potentially disturbing news, I have been told today (but have no other ‘proof’) that one of the dog walkers thinks there are Mink downstream to Cogglesford Mill. I just hope this is not true because they will decimate all the new life that should be springing up all along the Slea in the following months, not to mention also wiping out our small Water Vole population 
Here is Cogglesford Cottage and Mill last Sunday in the snow…
Terry
PS I forgot to mention that we have had a Swan visit on and off for a couple of weeks and today I got a shot of its left hand side bill (which I use to try and identify individuals) and can confirm that it is the male of the pair of swans that came a few months ago with one of their cygnets (Click HERE for picture). I assume that the female is on a nest somewhere (although its very early for that) and the male is have an ‘away day’ to just have a change of scenery