Psilos Bird Journal
Wednesday June4th2008
     
"Fast workers"
 
Great crested grebe
My weeks illness meant that I had not been up to Doffocker in quite a while. As ever I could hear the terns before I could see them and it sure was great to see them again.
     

     
Life certainly seems to have taken a fast turn. The terns arrived back in the last week of April. I saw them mate in the same week and today I noticed the first of the chicks had hatched. Two small brown speckled chicks were clearly visible on the raft and I was blown away at the sheer speed at which these guys operated on. Fast work does not come in to it.


 
To say the chicks had hatched there was still little activity. Terns did come in with very small fish but visits were few and far between. Most of the time the birds that were not sitting just sat around and preened and bathed. The bird in the two photos above spent most of its time looking to the sky not a very usual behaviour for this most self assured of birds.
 
 
They are still as tame as ever though and still come and drop in the water right beside me and bath.
 
 
 
 
If you sit quietly most birds will come quite close as they go about their business. Today the water was flat and silver for the most part but in one area where the reeds grew up thick and lush the water reflected a beautiful emerald green. Here a pair of Great Crested grebes that had failed to breed fished and hung out. They are one of three pairs on the lodge. Only one pair has chicks at the moment and their brood is now down to just one. It is a harsh world out there.
 
Once again there are no goslings to be seen as the eggs are smashed to stop them from breeding but t he adult Canada geese were still busy bathing and looked great on it.
 
 
and the Mallards were splashing about and acting as manic as ever....
 
 
Deep in the reeds the Reed Buntings and Sedge warblers were calling. The Bluetits were also busy stripping the stems down in their quest to find food for their babies. Such a fast and busy world....