.
Not much fear of that. We’re back into winter gear: Wellington boots; padded jackets … the whole kahuna!
A fine warm March: temperatures up in the 20’s; water levels falling by the minute; talk of hosepipe bans and compulsory metering! I remember a severe drought a few years ago when the government created a Minister for Drought. This clearly angered the Gods as, from that day on, it never stopped raining for the whole summer. It looks as if the lesson has been learned here though, as they only declared a hosepipe ban this time … but the result was the same! The Gods sent us the deluge: reservoirs overflowed and flood release areas were filled to record levels.
We have all heard of the disaster on the Ouse Washes: with hundreds of nesting birds being flooded out. The old country saying, “a dry Spring and you will pay for it later” - certainly has resonance this year!
We, in our own small way here at Campfield, are experiencing the phenomena to some degree: quickly falling water levels when birds are nesting - and then just a few days ago, a solid 24 hours of rain … showing clear evidence of nests of various species of birds being flooded out. Moorhens and Black-headed Gulls were all clearly having to re-establish nesting sites - but doubtless smaller birds such as Skylarks may have suffered too! As to the state of Redshank, Snipe and Plover - this is as yet uncertain.
Nesting Black-headed Gulls, however, are a mixed blessing on a bird Reserve and fall generally under the category of ’bad neighbours’, as they will predate virtually anything, even each other - as far as I can see. Green Plover certainly have a hard time keeping the gulls at bay!
But as with all things in nature, there are ‘checks and balances.’ If you have a few Gulls nesting in an area, all the other predators: Buzzard, Harriers, Heron and not to mention foxes, dogs and cats - get a really hard time from them.
All this we poor conservationists view with some disquiet, unable to do anything about it - we are not gamekeepers! … and the word ’cull’ is something of an anathema to us really! So we must watch in helpless frustration as we see a fox gobble up the contents of a Skylark’s nest - or a Magpie or Carrion Crow take the contents of almost any species of birds’ nest. It is something that one never quite gets used to. The conservationists lot is not a happy one: drought; flood; storm; predation - you pays your money and takes your pick!
PHOTO RECORD OF RESERVE SIGHTINGS - MID MAY 2012
The Wetlands - in front of the hide
Black-headed Gulls nest building. 11 5 12
Gull attempting to rebuild flooded nest after 24hour of rain - 12 5 12
An aerial spat - 12 5 12
Moorhen nest building on clump of rushes, as water levels rise - 11 5 12
House Martins hawking over the wetlands - 11 5 12
Swallow hawking over flower meadow - 12 5 12
... and flying over the wetlands - 12 5 12
Skylark in song-flight over the grassland in front of the hide - 12 5 12
Lark descending amongst meadow flowers - 12 5 12
... then surveying its surroundings - 12 5 12
One of a number of Grey Heron who favour these rushy margins. - 12 5 12
Grey Heron numbers seem to be holding up still, after this last winter.
A pair of Mute Swan visitors to recent raised water levels here - 12 5 12
Cotton Grass in flower on the raised Bog. Splendid views are also to be had from the boardwalk - 12 5 12.
North Plain Farm Lonning.
Orange Tip butterflies seen flying here on sunny days - 6 5 12
Moorhen on raised nest, well out of the water. 11 5 12
Goldfinch are much in evidence, singing from perches along the lonning hedgeside - 11 5 12
Cheviot lambs, recently brought in with their mothers from Hawswater, for lowland pasture grazing - 12 5 12
The hamlet of West Common.
Male Lesser Redpoll - 7 5 12
Moorhen climbing up into damson tree - 7 5 12
It seemed very agile when climbing and explored some of the higher branches - 7 5 12
Campfield Saltmarsh
Male Linnet's song perch on marshside hawthorn - 7 5 12
Black-backed Gull grappling with its catch - it looks like an eel! - 14 5 12
Attempting to fly into the air with it ...
... and then drop it from a height. It repeated this a number of times until it was dead. Funnily enough after that it lost interest and left it for the Crows to finish off!
Two Roe Deer came running along the mudflats as if to leave the reserve and cross over into Scotland. However, that was not to be on this occasion, as there was still a fast tide running. They sensibly turned round and ran back inland - 14 5 12
Saltmarsh bathed in evening light - a fine hunting ground for the Barn Owl which can be seen now at dusk on most dry evenings - 11 5 12
Returning from a successful hunting trip - 11 5 12
Sunset over the Solway - 11 5 12