The Latest Swan familys.

This week a pair nesting on the old bridge near Mill Street hatched 3 cygnets. It is not thought the pair, ALA and AKT, are locally born birds. ALA and AKT were both first recorded in the 2nd Winter plummage at Chase Meadows Pool in September 2006. They subsequently joined flocks at St Nicholas Park where they have raised three cygnets.

One of the cygents of this brood is quite adventurousm trying to be like his Dad and chasing the Ducks and being like his mum trying to up end. On one incident he actually managed to completely submerge like a diver!

At Kingfisher Pool there is still bo sign of ZTG's mate ZOT. She has been AWOL for several weeks now and he seems to have paired with a new female - ARK. She was exhibiting some desire to nest, half heartedly collecting feathers and dead grass about her. I suspect however it is too late in the season.

On the canal VGY and ATZ still have their 6 cygnets and further up near the 'Cape of Good Hope' AJV and her Untagged mate have 7 cygnets.

Young Squirrels

For the past week we have had the delight of watching young Squirrels playing on our garage roof. 'Walnut' has been a regular visitor to our garden for teh past few winters this year however he unusually remained right into the spring. I assumed he and 'Peanut' had mated and gone to build a drey somewhere. I expected them to use the large thick conifer a few doors away but was surprised to see three young squirrels emerging from beneath the eaves of my next door neighbours bungalow.

Over the following few evenings they have played and explored tentativly. They seem quite large and I expect that they are pretty much independant now, which is a good think as my next door neighbour has now sealed the gap under the eaves.