fisher king

It’s that scruffy time of year in the bird world and even Britain’s  brightest and best are suffering. There are at least four Kingfishers around Upper Lake at the minute and it’s the youngsters that are putting their parents to shame.

The old male (above) is looking particularly out of sorts but at least he’s playing ball. Four visits to the perch in under an hour is some sort of new European and Commonwealth record I believe!

A pair of Cormorants continue to menace the fish population and I have a new friend in the hide. A little Wood Mouse is getting bolder with each visit and I hope it won’t be long before some pictures are possible. A Bank Vole is now regular there too if you have food for him, and is best seen scuttling around by the entrance.

cormorant

The couple of semi-resident Cormorants spend most of their day log-loafing, but when they go fishing – they go fishing! Sadly this battle royal ended with a fatally wounded fish that the bird left at the bottom of the lake. Cormorants have earned themselves a reputation with fishermen for this sort of behaviour – it seems their eyes are very often bigger than their stomachs.

Not a lot else going on this morning but it’s heartening to see the Great Crested Grebes are staying put this year after their long absence last summer. Their first brood are still about but are more or less self-sufficient now so it’s possible that a second may be on the cards with plenty of time left.