The Safari played host to a Beaver group last night – the
small boys not the chunky rodent type.
The came to investigate our pond, so what did they find.
Well, it’s now obvious that we didn’t get all the 3-spined Sticklebacks out
earlier in the year as they netted at least 30...they’ll have to go later in
the year.
Plenty of Greater Pond Snails were found as usual but the
Wandering Snails (Radix
balthica) seem to have undergone a population crash and only a few were
netted.
Keeled Ramshorn Snails were numerous as ever but it appears we have
just one Common Ramshorn Snail in there; it’s a long time since more than one
was plopped in to the trays for inspection.
A small Blue Tailed Bamselfly nymph suggest that the adults
that emerged early in the spring laid some eggs.
The larger Water Boatmen are now big enough to survive the
jaws of the ravaging sticklebacks, but could fall victim to a rather scarce
visitor to our isolated pond, a Pond Skater.
This morning the Emily J was
close inshore ravaging our shellfish beds trawling for shrimps no doubt
catching a whole lot more besides.
Nothing of note was noted with the huge number of gulls in
attendance although there were a fair number of Great Black Backs with the
Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls but they weren’t lifting the nets while
we were watching.
Other than that we only saw a small flock of 14 Common
Scoters flying past – no mammals today.
The trawler was still trawling at lunchtime but other than
the gulls there wasn’t much about. A few terns out over the river mouth and
three Grey Seals bobbing about on the ebbing tide were about the sum total of
the day’s excitement.
Where to next? More of the same – let’s hope the
over-excitement rating increases like the temperatures are supposed to be doing
shortly.
In the meantime let us know what’s ripping the bottom out of
your outback.
R(ock).I.P Jon - another maestro leaves us...great memories of seeing a great guy with several great bands/incarnations over the years.
Play it LOUD
