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| Mute Swan |
The rain has returned yet again! Though, for most of the morning it wasn't too bad, just a little patchy, but by the afternoon, it was pretty miserable. The birds weren't as lively as last week. I only heard a solitary burst from a cuckoo today, while the sedge and reed warblers were not put off by the weather and were the liveliest songsters on the reserve this morning. From Fen Hide, I was busy scanning the reed beds for them, though the sedge warblers did make things easier by jumping into the air every now and then to perform a parachute display, but they were moving around so much that I wasn't quick enough to photograph them. At least the Chinese water deer were more obliging.
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| Cobber the Black Swan |
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| Chinese Water Deer |
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| Jays |
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| Swallow |
From Reception Hide, I was busy kicking off this month's bird tick sheet, which monitor the number of bird (and now other vertebrates - mammals, reptiles and fish) that we see and hear from this hide each month. I did reasonably well despite the rubbish weather conditions, the highlights being the swarm of swallows swooping over the broad, which were joined by house and sand martins, the odd swift and my first hobby of the year that made a brief attempt at catching one of the swallows for it's dinner. Also about today was a pair of coot were busy looking after their 6 tiny chicks in front of the hide, a few common terns, marsh harriers, another Chinese water deer, reed buntings, an oystercatcher and 2 lapwing flying by.
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| Coot with chick |
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| Common Tern |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Canada Goose |
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| Greylag |
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| Pochard |
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| Paul's bench |
Finally, away from birds, before my shift and the worst of the rain, I went for a walk up to a particular bench along the river trail. Just after the sluices as you make your way towards the Tower Hide, there is a bench overlooking the Accidental Broad and sheltered behind some trees. There is a small plaque on it in the memory of a man called Paul Fowler (or 'Yorkie' Paul as he was known to his friends). Today marks the 10th anniversary of his death and I have come to pay my respects for him. Paul was a friend and colleague of my dad and for several months back in 2007 until March 2008, I was living under his roof as his tenant. He was a postman who really loved bats (as well as real ale) and I remember going out with him and his bat detector in search of them. He was an extremely passionate guy and was rarely doing nothing. He was a great guy to be around with.
His death was sudden and was a complete shock. I had only recently moved out to my flat a couple of months before he passed away. I remember that he had an accident involving his bike and was taken to hospital just days after I had moved from his place. However, it was not the accident that killed him. It was cancer. I had no idea that he was suffering until a few days before he died. After his death, this bench was placed here in his memory as well as a set of bat boxes that were put up at Mousehold Heath. Paul would have loved the view that this bench provides and, from what I've heard, bats have been using his boxes. Rest in peace my friend. You are still in our thoughts.
His death was sudden and was a complete shock. I had only recently moved out to my flat a couple of months before he passed away. I remember that he had an accident involving his bike and was taken to hospital just days after I had moved from his place. However, it was not the accident that killed him. It was cancer. I had no idea that he was suffering until a few days before he died. After his death, this bench was placed here in his memory as well as a set of bat boxes that were put up at Mousehold Heath. Paul would have loved the view that this bench provides and, from what I've heard, bats have been using his boxes. Rest in peace my friend. You are still in our thoughts.
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