Rojer's blog: May 2011

31 May 2011

Tuesday, byebye May

Nothing doing

A mallard was posing on my favourite log:

And on the canal a narrowboat, Rhapsody, passed as I was walking to town (cat food!).

Think it's a hire boat: I asked how far they'd come: "Not sure." came the reply in a transatlantic accent.


	Rhapsody approaching

Back on the pond the "bottom" grebe pair were maintaining their distance from the bank, so no pics of the young (damnit).

The "top" grebe was hunting though.

It's a toss up but I think they can move faster under water than on the surface.

The colour's real it's the greenery on the far bank reflected.

Just to finish, a pair of coot chicks

30 May 2011

Bank Holiday Monday

Light rain on and off all day

Pond: heron about looking somewhat disconsolate

Though I didn't realise it at the time the sun was too directly behind me, washing out the definition of the bird. A bit of "'shopping" got this, but still not very good:

You live and learn.

The obligatory mallard landing

'shopping cloudscapes:


Before	After

29 May 2011

Went out early (6:30) in hopes of seeing the grebe with chick on back closer to the bank. No such luck, she stayed out in the middle of the pond.

Walked the canal to Turnerwood, actually to Brown's lock , and back.
Python's at the BW mooring below Sandy Lane Bridge.

A couple of tufted ducks above Turnerwood double.


	One of whom looked downright creepy

The swan's still sitting on her eggs.

Diverted on the way back at Turnerwood to follow the Brancliffe feeder to Brancliffe Grange Farm and back to Duke's bridge. All the feeder does is add water to the canal (at Feeder lock) but the workmanship is amazing. It goes for over a mile (1.4 miles actually) and most of its way it's fully canalised but only about 3-4 feet wide.

I don't know if my admiration for these canal engineers is getting through to you. These people did things with style. Just look at the Harthill feeder above Kiveton Park:

All that just to add water to the canal.

Couple of narrowboats passing through Shireoaks: Remus and Grumpleweed, They'd been on the marina as I walked up. Usual cheery waves.

Now, my star of the day!

On the home stretch I saw a bird in the willows on the far bank. I thought at first it was our duckling devouring heron silhouetted against the sun , but as I got nearer I could see that it wasn't.

It was a cormorant. I've never seen one so far from the coast - it even did its spread wings thing, although facing away from the sun.

From Cormorant2 May 29 '11

I'm no ornithologist and had to confirm what it was when I got home: definitely a cormorant. I'm turning into a bird nerd!

Slideshow of Cormorant:

Caturday morning

The middle pair of grebes on the pond are apparently still courting:

But I think they might have left it too late for this year

The bottom grebes, having abandoned their nest, are keeping as far from the banks (and cameras,damnit!) as possible.

She, with chick on her back, is on the right in this slideshow.

I need a bigger lens!

Here's one I played with.
Could have been better!

27 May 2011

Friday's child

Turns out that the grebes had left their nest on purpose: mum's now "swanning" around with junior on her back while dad patrols.

On the canal a moorhen was maintaining her nest in a drain

A pair of Canada geese decided to leave

Had an interesting chat with a guy at the pond, he was watching a kingfisher across on the other bank, I couldn't see it: he had a small expensive looking scope fixed to his car door.

26 May 2011

Thursday II: Nb Sunny at Morse lock

Nb Sunny passed through Morse lock. He's based at Shireoaks marina and was coming back from Clarborough. Lovely piratical name transfer!


Lovely dog!	Rising

Thursday's not so bad (I)

The back's better: a good night's kip was all it needed.

The pond: The bottom grebes have deserted their nest. Why, I don't know. The eggs might have hatched and the chicks moved but there's no sign of the female, eggs or chicks.