Easter Sunday on the canal

Easter Sunday arrived with beautiful sunshine, just what you need.  It seemed just what my feathered friends needed too. 

First up were the five new goslings along at the allotments.  As I expected, they ventured out of the nest and down to the water even if it did take two goes.  The first one was abandoned by the adults because there were just too many other geese on the canal, the second went better.  I have documented their first encounter with the canal in an article on HubPages that I hope you enjoy.

Goslings Take to the Water



Gosling Pictures by AnnMackieMiller
copyright 2011


None of the other goose nest seem to be stirring although the one deep in the bramble bushes might be - from the little I could see she looked as if she had puffed out all her feathers which usually suggests the goose is brooding young.  Will have to wait and see on that one.  The others, well some of them are overdue by my reckoning. 

Along at Greenhill, there is lots going on.  The poor moorhen family are continually rebuilding their nest that is equally continually being destroyed by cows when they come down to drink.  You have to admire their persistence - the moorhens not the cows.  There still appears to be seven chicks so that means only the eighth one that never made it out of the nest perished.  I love the moorhens, they are such feisty characters taking on cows, geese, ducks no matter how much bigger they are.  I also love the way anything and everything finds its way into the nest.  Today it was a some sort of paper bag that got pride of place - well every nest should have one.

Moorhen pictures by AnnMackieMiller
copyright 2011
'Every nest should have one!'



'Ah... bliss!'

The first goslings born on the 13th April are getting big.


Gosling pictures by AnnMackieMiller
copyright 2011

We also had a lot of giddy geese down at Micklethwaite Wharf.  Maybe it is a trend Bruce the Goose started, (The Joys of Spring: Goose Style), but there were a few indulging in water sports today.  A couple of the adults got a bit stroppy about it and chased the youngsters.  The first to start the fun were a pair of young white geese that seemed to have a competition going on.  Then this Canada goose joined in, rolling and splashing and having a whale of a time.


Canada goose image by AnnMackieMiller
copyright 2011

The two juvenile swans there looked as if they wanted to join the fun, I saw one of them 'goose' the other.  However the ducking and diving were beyond them, with their weight the best they could do was run along the surface.

Juvenile Mute Swan pictures by AnnMackieMiller
copyright 2011



There is such a lot going on I am finding it hard to keep up with the photo processing and writing but all these will have their own little photojournals soon.