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The Peckham Rye Park heron was eyeing up two quite large cootlets on Sunday.

Their parents were swimming around them and presumably trying to protect them.

We couldn't understand why the coots  didn't swim off, but as they were under a large tree branch, maybe the heron would have been better able to catch one of the chicks in open water.

It eventually gave up and flew off. Crikey they have vicious pointy beaks, herons! Is it for spearing fish?

1 hour ago, first mate said:

That heron is a fearsome predator. Are there any babies left?

Well unless the heron got them later, there were the  two cootlets.

I think some others of this year's babies must have escaped the heron.

Many years ago (and possibly still, though I never see them any more) there was a whole heron family on the island  - mum, dad and youngster.

I don't know how long herons live. Maybe this one is the grown up youngster.

9 hours ago, first mate said:

Around ten days ago there were around 6 Mallard ducklings and the same number of Canada Goose goslings. Today, not one to be seen 😥

😢😢😢

7 hours ago, malumbu said:

Hopefully the Canada Geese were being culled - I'm being serious.  It's permitted

😮

12 hours ago, malumbu said:

And other wildlife.  We have!

Please just make sure they can get out if they fall in (unless it's a very shallow container).

Eg by a pile of pebbles on the inside and some sort of ramp on the outside.

I was devastated to find an apparently drowned baby (or very small) mouse in one of my mini ponds a few months ago 😭

Edited by Sue

We have them every few years, several, and yes, eating ants

7 hours ago, Sue said:

Please just make sure they can get out if they fall in (unless it's a very shallow container).

Eg by a pile of pebbles on the inside and some sort of ramp on the outside.

I was devastated to find an apparently drowned baby (or very small) mouse in one of my mini ponds a few months ago 😭

Yes, critters can get in and out

  • Like 1
  • 2 weeks later...
7 minutes ago, Han92-ED said:

It looks like they have cut it down completely now 😭

Does anybody know why?

Trees aren't cut down for no reason. There must have been something wrong with it (I hope that was the reason).

A child was recently killed and another one injured when a tree fell in a park (not in this area).

It isn't always obvious from the outside when a tree is diseased or whatever, and I imagine the council would give safety considerations priority when deciding what to do, if there was any doubt at all.

  • Agree 1
  • 2 weeks later...

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