Psilos Bird Journal
Saturday June 10th 2006
     
"Mobbed!"
 
Another very hot day forecast and so I set out early to watch the terns and see how their chicks are progressing. As I arrived and before I can even see the water I could hear the terns. As demanding and quarrelsome as ever it appears that the growing chicks are demanding their quota of fish.
 
 

As with last year whilst they were laying their eggs and their chicks were very small they tolerated me but now their chicks are nearly half grown they are not pleased I am there. As I sit in my usual spot they all fly out and swoop lungeing for my head and alarming. Common terns however do not seem as tenacious as Arctic terns and never come close to drawing blood. I wait it out and as expected they soon settle down. Occassionally a tern will come and land on the post out front but they are still unsettled and continue to call as they sit.
     

     
 
Often when on fishing trips the terns can be gone for quite some time. The tern in the photo above however merely flew out of the raft, plunged into the water about a hundred feet away and came up first time with a fish. His return seemed to create great friction. No sooner had his feet touched down then he was chased all round the lake by another adult. I can never understand this behaviour but maybe the adult fancies the fish for their chick instead of finding their own.
     
     
The chick in the photo is trying to swallow a fish.
     
 
At present I can see six chicks but I am pretty sure there are more than that.
 
The adult great crested grebes are also kept busy fishing. They still have two chicks. I was fortunate enough to find a juvenile sat very close into the bank and was able to get closer photographs than I have ever gotten before.

I had hoped to photograph the Mute swan and their cygnets today but they were keeping well out of the way. I even fed the ducks in the hope I could entice them across but to no avail. At least she still has all five of her cygnets and they appear to be growing well.