Rye Harbour update –
It is not good news about the nesting seabirds. The continuing wet, cold and windy weather has taken a great toll on the small fluffy chicks of the terns and the gulls. Feeding has been difficult with stormy seas, so the chicks get hungry and weak and don’t hide when danger threatens. The adults spend more time away feeding, so cannot collectively repel threats, which come in the form of Herring Gulls and Kestrel. Today I was watching the last of 2 chicks close to the camera, next to the base of the wooden post… the adult flew up and the chick stayed in the open, then down came 2 bright yellow legs and took the tiny chick away.. almost certainly a tasty snack for a hungry Kestrel, probably with it’s own hungry chicks to feed.
We are all looking forward to some proper summer weather…
Barry. Rye Harbour.
Two of the Moorhens must of nested again, it doesn’t seem that a lot have survived, as I have only seen one chick with each adult. Only one survived out of the first clutch, it was following one of the new chicks, I should think that the Adult of the new Chick, was the larger ones parent. I was surprised that only one had survived, as the last time that I saw them, some weeks back there were six that were quite large. There were also ten or more Ducklings on the lake yesterday, they haven’t been about today, I reckon that they may be on the pond. They had survived since the day of the flood, so I cant imagine that none would have survived in the past twenty four hours. I am sure that we poison most of the Rats at the far end of the lake, but I had to move the cage to try to get rid of the ones near where I feed the Badgers. As I hadn’t seen any for a while I moved the cage back to the lake area, under the Bird feeders, where I see the Rats now and then.
I haven’t seen the Heron on the lake for a day or two. I am hoping it is because he cant see any fish with the lake being the colour it is. I don’t know how long the lake will stay the orange colour that it is. The colour can only have been caused by the soil that it a reddish colour mixing with the flood water. But I would have expected it to have settled by now. The state of the water does not seem to have hurt the fish, although the flood could well have washed away the fish eggs or fry. When I walked around the lake today I was unable to into the water to see if there were any fry.
I don’t know how long the rabbit who is running in and out of the area that the Badgers are feeding in, is going to survive. It must have a death wish with the chances that it is taking. Rabbits make a good meal for both Badgers and Foxes.
The Bird on the SWT cam 2 is a Grebe.
Happy Birthday Val, but I would want to be wringing Alex’s neck if I were you., broadcasting your age.