The Grebes rebuild for the 3rd time

After the Grebes last nest was predated near the island where i had a great filming position and knowing they would try again. Well today I noticed the Grebes rebuilding on the opposite side of the lake from where they last nested previously and as you can see they have been busy building and there is now one egg on the nest. 
Hopefully they should have 4 - 5 eggs by Friday but as I cannot kayak till Sunday 
I shall have to wait till then to find out.

I think that the nest should be okay here once reed growth kicks in and hides the nest from aerial and water based predators but in Nature nothing is ever that simple.

Grebe nest gets abandoned!!!

Last Sunday I kayaked and as I left, the Grebes were using there nest as normal incubating there 4 eggs but after Monday things were very different with the pair.
On Tuesday we noticed the Grebes staying away from there nest and after hearing about some young fisherman in 3 kayaks near the nest I was very worried and without being able to check the nest for the eggs I could not figure out why they had left the nest as when I kayak past they always return to the nest.
They both seemed relaxed and were happy to pose for the camera

So was it Flash getting aggressive with the Grebes making them change there mind as there young would be in danger from Flash as his aggression is increasing towards all the water birds on the lake or was it human interference or even possibly Otter or mink but my theory is a mix of 2 of my ideas.
Later in the week I found more predated nests and I found a few clues in the area at the weekend that may reveal what the Grebe egg thief was.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Few photographs from the week

4 Shellducks at a Badger sett???????????

 Snow on her nest slowly the reeds are growing around her giving her some privacy

 A female Mallard and her young sheltering during a rainstorm

Moorhen visiting the old Grebe nest

Short post - Otter wood must visit

As Spring is now in now getting going it means I must visit the woodland where my repaired Otter holt location is as I am guessing that the Bluebells will be in full beauty now so I must get there for a few shots using the Go pro camera on video and photo mode.

Last year my lens messed up and I only got a few images from this site

 Bluebell Badger sett which you can see to the right of the photo

Porpoises off the Great Orme

In April as usual we went looking for Porpoises just off the Great orme and there is one place where you can see them regularly and usually at the same time of day. Hopefully in June we can kayak to this spot and see if they are in this area as we paddle by on the way to the Little Orme to photograph Guillemots and Razorbills on the sea and as its close to the North shore if the weather changes we can easily get back to more sheltered part of the bay and away from the full force of the Irish sea.

 Porpoises swimming on the surface and as the sun was out the light was very good for watching them

 The group of 3 stayed around for a good hour before heading west

I am sure this is a resident group of the bay due to seeing the so often and hopefully they may have a calf or 2 when I go there in June.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Sandmartins back on the River Dane

Headed down the river dane at the weekend to a quieter part where I know there is Kingfishers, Otters and other wildlife of interest. The sun was out and the sky was blue with white fluffy clouds well until the sky went black and it began to rain heavily and as I had a hole in my wellies I was not very pleased but what we found upriver made it worth the wellie full of water.

The river was looking beautiful with all the green river plants growing along the edges of the water and under the water the weed was in full health ready for when the fish begin swimming upriver to spawn in the deeper water in June/July.

Down on the river banks lots Swallows, swifts, House martins were feeding on the flying insects over the river. The best thing was that over 60 Sand martins have made there homes on the river and as there previous nesting banks were washed away thanks to flooding and teens using the banks as a diving area into the river it was great to them in such good numbers on my local river.

A few of the Sand martin holes on the river

Hopefully I will be able to film them from the opposite side of the river bank sometime this week with a few ideas I have and I will post about it later in the week.

Thanks for reading

Mike

Short post - Beta Goose nest abandoned!!!

After a quick kayak I found Beta Goose nest abandoned the eggs were destroyed just egg shells and no parents or Goslings to be found on or around the lake. The second nest in a week to be predated by the same animal and the top suspect on my list is an Otter which is great not for the birds but for the habitat and health of the waterways around here it's a great sign.

Alpha Goose nest is fine and I am thinking they will hatch this week possibly in the next few days I will post any updates as and when they happen.

Thanks for reading

Mike