Darkest Days

Mid -Winter and the darkest of days are here, even worse when it's cloud and rain as well ! Makes for poor photo opportunities and a longing for the lighter days. The 3 cygnets are still here but Penny is nipping at them more often, and the young ones often have their wings in a semi raised position, indications are that they will be getting the push soon. 

The dead kelts are still providing food for the gulls, but I was disturbed to find a dead Moorhen today. It was a young one that I have seen pecking around the riverside for the past few weeks. 

I could find no external injuries of any kind, and wondered if it had access to the rat poison put down by the council ratcatcher ? The high tides lately have washed along the area where the poison was laid, it was also the area where I have sometimes seen the young Moorhen feeding. I hope we have no more politicians or rat fiasco's on the riverside !

Riverside Recyclers

Recycling is nothing new to people of my generation, wartime babies grew up with REAL AUSTERITY with rationing right through until 1954, we knew how to make and mend and recycle everything ! It has taken fifty years for government to start promoting recycling just to cope with the excesses of the consumer society. Nature of course has always been doing it, and our riverside is a perfect example of it today. Those of you unfamiliar with our Salmon rivers should understand that Salmon travel up river to spawn every year. Like all living things their primary purpose in life is to reproduce before they die. Many of our Atlantic Salmon make it back to the sea to continue the cycle of life. Many also die during the spawning season and are washed downstream, settling on the banks and shallow areas of the river, this happens all through the winter until around February/March. Nature's recyclers are often kept alive by this bounty, for food is scarce during winter. The Tidal area of the river is a favourite haunt of birds and other creatures, for everything in the river drifts there and is generally ice free with the daily influx of salt water. Those of us who know the river, are quite familiar with the occasional sight of black back gulls, herring gulls, mink, otters, rats, crows, weasel's foxes,cats and dogs, all sniffing around the riverside for a decayed fish or anything else that might be edible. They are the riverside natural recyclers at work, some would prefer fresh meat but anything will do in harsh times. Rodents are part of the river scene, and are of no special significance unless you have them in your house or garden as permanent residents. The recent removal of undergrowth between the Merryton and road bridge has probably forced resident rodents to move to undergrowth below the Merryton bridge. The current furore over a family of rats should not be used as a pretext for political interference in the river, or to deprive the river waterbirds of their much needed winter food supply!

Other River Birds

You could be forgiven for thinking that I am only interested in Swans and ducks, but I do keep a close eye on other birds on the river too. Some of the other species recently seen, include Swallows, young Redshank on the swans Island, and a Black back gull with a flounder. Not easy to catch a shot of a Swallow in flight though !

The Black Death

Predators on the River come in all shapes and sizes, but yesterday evening I saw one of the most powerful killer birds in action. The huge Blackback gull, it may well have been the one that killed the cygnet back in May. These are incredibly powerfull birds and will take rabbits and other small animals as well as birds. It was pitiful to see a fully grown duck trying to escape the powerfull beak of the blackback, and was pretty savage to watch. The duck was hauled over the rocks to shallower water and ferociously torn. I have seen them take ducklings before, but not a fully grown female duck. This blackback was obviously used to taking large prey. The light was fading and it was distant moving, but the poor duck can be clearly seen trying to get away.