29 August 2007
The babies are mostly grown and the summer of hard work is done. The adult coots and Moorhens are spending more and more time in the iris boxes just letting the world be. There are fewer battles and disputes and a great deal more tolerance.
Breakfast time this morning was followed by a major washing and grooming session, as usually happens. But today, one of the moorhen twins and the young coot tentatively groomed each other’s heads while an almost grown duckling swam close by. Long may such tolerance last.
I've just eaten my first ever home grown strawberry - long may such flavour last...
Update - I'd not even had time to hit the "save" button before the next coot battle broke out. When I stuck my head over the balustrade to see what was going on it was pretty obvious that the neighbouring coots were simply suffering from a bad dose of boredom. Ah well, peace was nice while it lasted.
27 August 2007
The Guardian played with fishermen once too often yesterday and was caught. Fortunately for The Guardian, he was released after being de-hooked and having his photo taken with the fisherman, named John. The apprentice guardian was very upset, followed The Guardian as he was being reeled in, racing off under the iris boxes only when the larger fish left the water, secure in a large net.
Seconds after being released The Guardian joined the apprentice and noshed some rice I’d thrown for the coots. Unscathed, save for his pride, by the look of it.
Yesterday I went to Columbia Road Flower Market. If you want a vibrant, thriving East End market this is the one to see. Today I’ll plant up the hanging buckets with their winter collection of heather, winter pansies, trailing ivy with a few bulbs for spring colour.
25 August 2007
Yesterday a small wader was flicking up and down the canal, flickering sickle wings flashing a pale wing bar and its bobbing head when it landed makes me think it was a Common Sandpiper (Acitis hypoleucos). What a lovely little thing.
Today brought a greater surprise. I was sitting outside and having fed the coots, moorhens and carp fry, I was having a bit of a break, sitting quietly in my chair outside. There was a sudden whirr of wings, a flash of colour and there, just a couple of foot away from me, perched on the balustrade right above the fry was…
Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis
Photo © Terry L
Taken at a Kent Nature Reserve
See more of Terry's photos at Wild About Britain
Sadly my quick intake of breath was heard and this beautiful jewel flashed away as quickly as it had arrived. No matter; that was a visitor I will never forget.
22 August 2007
Little duckling wanted breakfast this morning, but there was a problem. There were quite a number of problems to be honest, in the form of a flock of big greedy geese all around poor little duckling.
So what can a duckling do in that situation? First, have the absolute belief of the young that if you want to be fed, you will be fed. Second, call as loudly as your little voice will manage to ensure the bread throwing human realises you are there. Third, use the fact that you are young, and adults ignore youngsters, to your advantage. Then squeeze under wings and dodge round tails to get yourself to the front of the queue and watch every move the human makes, and be sure to catch her eye.
The arm goes up; bread flies through the air and lands an inch in front of duckling’s beak. One quick swoop and the duckling has the prize. Kick like crazy and dive into the Iris boxes, out of reach of goosey beaks. Munch bread in peace.
Then… Start all over again.
21 August 2007
The other evening a fish leapt clear of the surface of the canal right in front of me. I have no idea what it was. It had a silver belly with a rosy sheen down the sides and was a good 18 inches long, maybe more. I’ve looked it up in my general wildlife guide but am none the wiser.
I don’t suppose the damselfly it snatched was very bothered about my lack of ability to identify the jaws that munched it.
The little pike (they are called Jacks – I’m learning!) are not so little anymore. Nor is the carp fry school. The Guardian, a really huge carp who appears to look after the little ones, was off teasing fishermen when the last attack happened. Big kid!
13 August 2007
Bees make me chuckle. This morning I wandered outside with my coffee and as I sat in the rocker chilling - literally on this bright August, October-like morning – I was made to feel incredibly lazy by a very industrious bumble bee.
I have a hanging basket filled with nasturtiums, lobelia and some stunted sweet peas (don’t ask). Mr Bee was diligently harvesting each flower in turn. It was easy to see why the word “busy” is so strongly associated with bees. I lazily watched while he worked.
A little later it was time to water the basket but when I showed up with the watering can, Mr Bee was still doing his busy thing. The basket is on one of those Hi-Lo contraptions which allow you to lower it to do necessary maintenance, like watering. Mr Bee was just moving in on a flower when I started to lower the basket; he didn’t even blink, simply adjusted his flight and moved onto the flower as if the 18 inch drop in height was a daily occurrence… maybe it is for an urban bee?
The only time he was even slightly distracted was when I added the water. He gave me such a look I could almost hear him.
“Oi, watch what you are doing with that water! Hasn’t anyone told you that bees can’t fly? It’s not physically possible. Proved in scientific experiments and everything you know. I’m a miracle I am! You aren’t helping by splashing all that water about though you know. Dry bees can defy gravity but get us wet and its another matter altogether!”
“Stupid humans, you’ve no brains at all. Telling us we cannot fly when we are bumbling along right in front of your noses.”
And so Mr Bee grumped on for a bit, never once stopping in his hunt for nectar.
Later this evening I was watching a programme on TV which was putting the arguments for rational scientific knowledge in this “new age” of unproven beliefs and, as it was termed, superstition.
As I listened I remembered the bumble bee which, according to knowledgeable, rational scientists, cannot fly.
12 August 2007
Today I was joined for breakfast by two coot families, 2 (very shy but hungry) moorhen families and, so far, one duck family. They had toast; I had yoghurt and berries - without the toast.
I forgot to stash my apples in the fridge yesterday and, when the door was open and the lights were on last night I was visited by insects with a serious apple burrowing habit. What I don’t get is why they insist on one apple each? The coots will be apple bobbing later; they have been getting a lot of practice recently and can now demolish an apple in a few minutes, including diving for escaped bits. It appears to have become a favourite pastime of late.
There were diving ducks visiting the other day, I wasn’t able to identify them, they looked a lot like a female and some juvenile mallards, but they could dive in a way I’ve never seen mallards do before, not just heads down, but diving all the way to the bottom of the canal. It is wonderful to watch the diving waterfowl, when they dive the air trapped in their feathers makes them look as if they have been lightly dusted in silver.
The Underage and Field Day festivals took place in the park this weekend. Normally I like it when there is something going on, but not this time. The amount of rubbish strewn about the park and canal is awful. There are plenty of bins within easy reach, what is wrong with people? And why on earth couldn’t the organisers sort out people to clean it up? You know how it is, once a single bit of rubbish is thrown, it seems as if it gives “permission” to others to throw their rubbish down as well.
2nd Duck family has just arrived, and I need to make some more bread. That reminds me, here is a recipe for very inexpensive duck bread – this is the bread maker version. I can make this for less than 20p a loaf, or even less if any of the ingredients are on special offer.
Bread for ducks
Ingredients
500g of the cheapest plain flour you can get. (Value or stores own brands are great)
310ml warm water (heat it in the microwave for 40 seconds and it is perfect)
2 tsp dried yeast (Allinsons orange tubs are good value)
3 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp salt
2 crushed vitamin C tablets (use plain ones not flavoured or soluble)
3 Tbsp sunflower oil
Method
If you are using the orange tub or fresh yeast activate it by adding 1 tsp sugar and 2 tsp of yeast to the warmed water and stir and leave to activate for 5 minutes, it shoud start to foam
Add the following to the bread maker pan in the order specified by your instruction manual, the following order works for Panasonics.
Crushed Vitamin C tablets
Salt
Flour
The other 2 tsp of sugar
Yeast/water mix
Sunflower oil.
I find the fastback programme is fine for this.
If I have seeds or dried fruit past their use by date I sometimes throw a handful in for variety.
Here is the result 
10 August 2007
Today when the wind touched the trees the drying leaves rustled. A sound I associate with either very hot, drying summers or autumn. The early morning chill on my arms tells me which it is this time. Let me just check the date on this entry again? Yes, definitely 10 August.
The geese are back on the canal in large numbers. Mostly canada geese but there are some greylags and a few whose parentage can only be guessed at. I must hunt out their nesting sites next breeding season and try to find out what is producing these amazing creatures.
Last night I was late home and my absence had been noted! The “passing through” duck families were hanging around and they had been joined by the two swans, Solomon and Serena, who were fast asleep with their heads tucked under their wings. After I’d distributed half a loaf, as fairly as possible, everyone went back to sleep, including me. There is something very reassuring about knowing that pair of adult swans are just yards from my pillow.
9 August 2007 The swans were supervising the gardening this morning. Solomon is a vocal observer, commenting on the shoddiness of my dead-heading and the uneven watering of the pot plants. Of course the watering can had to be fully investigated before I could use it. Serena lost interest a soon as she realised there wasn’t any bread in it.
What do ducks have in common with opera singers? One of the ducks had left her almost adult ducklings further up the canal while she was, errr, socialising… She then called them back to her, she started of with her normal soft sweet call, and when she realised they were to far away to hear her, increased the volume. The soft sound turned into harsh quacks as she increased the power behind it. Did the trick though.
5 August 2007 The fry nursery was visited by a small group of 2 inch long pike today. It was real David Attenborough stuff, little fish leaping out of the water to get away. The large (thousands) shoal of fry were streaming along while the pike snapped up the stragglers, drove wedges through the shoal. What was amazing was how hard the little ones fought to stay together.
Peace was restored when the adult carp came back and the mini pike legged it.
2 August 2007 Poor Mrs Mallard. She had 7 ducklings a week ago but is now left with 3 and wow is she protective with them. Poor girl is going skew-eyed trying to watch the skies for chick snatching gulls and the water for pike among all the carp and bream, all at the same time.
When she does head into the reeds for a bit of a rest the coots who, in their opinion, own every bit of the canal, start chasing her off before she has even had a chance to close her eyes. She’d obviously had enough today because one very surprised coot found itself being well battered. Good for Mrs Mallard!