Nesting Birds 2017

Robin's Nest

The unusually dry spring has seen the birds begin to nest and breed quite early this year with a pair of robins nesting in the nursery area. A robin was spotted flying in and out of a pile of plastic bread baskets followed by the sound of calling chicks from within so, to prevent their disturbance, a warning sign was quickly made and carefully tied in place. The chicks will fledge the nest at 14 days old so the bread baskets will be quiet again by the end of April.  

Warning Sign

Swans On The Lake

Over on the lake things have changed since last year with the swans now nesting on the island. The change in their nesting site is due to the removal of the reeds they have used over the last five years to create their nest following the recent dredging of the lake, with no reeds they have moved on to the island. This change in location has caused a problem on the island as in the previous two years it had been successfully used by the Canada geese to rear their family but the male swan is so protective of his nesting female he has pushed the goose eggs from their nest, destroyed their nest and regularly chases them around and off the island.(Don't think goslings are going to be seen on the lake this year!). 

Building Their Nest

The swan's activities have been closely followed by Ali over the last five years, since the spring of 2012, the last update can be found on the blog entry dated 3rd January 2017 'The Swans Have Been Making Headlines In The Local Newspaper'. Following the death of one of the swans, a female, last August and finding a new mate in October, (the previous pairing believed to be female/female hence the production of eggs but no cygnets) this year the swans were seen mating on the 31st March and the 5th April, with the first egg seen soon after in the nest two days later on the 7th. The nest is not as spectacular as the one built in the reeds, it has been made from sticks, twigs and small tree branches, green leaves from the hogweed that is found on the island, leaf matter and feathers. It is hoped that the pair, known to be male and female, will successfully incubate their clutch of eggs and cygnets will be seen on the lake over the late May Bank Holiday. 

Beside the bridge by the lake the Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been seen and heard on the Ash tree making a new hole, it is hoped that the pair, as with last year, will use the tree again to successfully rear their young (last year they were seen feeding their young from mid May until they fledged on the 1st June).

Great Spotted Woodpecker On the Ash Tree

Swan Update:

Tuesday 25th April, 4-5 eggs spotted beneath the female swan as she moved on the nest, she has been sitting on the eggs since the 18th April.