Too Many Loaves

Its a sad reflection of our times that council budgets are such, that the pools at Nythe and Queens Park have been badly neglected. It's been awhile since I've had a walk around Queens Park and yes the flower beds have been well maintained and it's now possible to walk all around the pool without sinking into the mud in the south-west corner. However the state of the pool is absolutely horrendous.

With the water level well down and with a large flock of Canada Geese on there, (I counted at least 53 swimming around) it does mean that the pool is being "well-manured". Unfortunately it doesn't end there either, as well-meaning people are throwing bin loads of bread into the water which is really adding to the pollution.

A survey carried out last year showed that nearly a quarter of English and Welsh people had together fed six million loaves of bread to ducks that year. So its probably time the local council did something about Queens Park pool, before either all the birds die or worse still someone contracts the fatal bacterial infection Leptospirosis or Weil's disease as its more commonly known as.
The articles below are links showing the danger of  feeding our wildfowl with an unhealthily-high protein and/or carbohydrate-based diet.

One Green Planet

The Guardian

Anyway less of my soap box rant. What did I see.............

The gardens are very well kept.

The small pond has some beautiful plants around it

It's just a shame that the water looks putrid and the rubbish in the reeds and in the water is a real shame.

The stream has all but dried up and nothing is flowing into the pool.

Away to the west side of the park you would honestly think you were in a deciduous woodland.

And the tracks in the southwest corner are far easier to walk, without all that mud that used to be here.

The green pool. I'll say no more.

Okay maybe a bit more. Its definitely neglected.

Where has the water gone??

A Grey Heron - nest building. And there I was thinking they nested in trees!

A bit of a preen

This Lesser Black-backed Gull has his eye on something.........

  

.........and it looks like mum is going to have her work cut out here, especially if they lag behind....

...........that's it nice and close...........

..........because I need to make sure you're not a meal for this............

.........Lesser Black-backed Gull that is..........

............determined to prize one of those ducklings away from mum, even if it means stalking them over land......

...........so there we have it gull on the right, mum Mallard and her 2 offspring's on the left. A stand-off I think they call this......

...........fortunately for the Mallard family it's feeding time elsewhere and as he flies off........

.........so the ducklings can sleep in peace!

A Moorhen sits it out on her nest.

Whilst these 3 Coot chicks follow mum wherever she goes.....................

...........fortunately Canada Geese aren't that bothered by Coot chicks, though just in case they are, this one needs to get a move on.....

Safety at last with mum.

This Grey Squirrel was so busy on the bank........

.........I have no idea what he was after but he was busy digging up the park!

Under the surface a lovely carp cruises by. An old Wild Carp by the looks of it.

And this is the reason for the Lesser Black-backed Gulls departure, someone has thrown in a bucket load of bread.

A Black-headed Gull takes it all in.

Birds Recorded: Grey Heron, 53 Canada Geese, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot, Black-headed Gull, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Wood Pigeon, Swift, Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch.

Mammals: Grey Squirrel

Fish: A large carp, possible a Common but a very interesting brown colour