Bouncing Babies Galore

No, not the human kind, thank god. Mother Earth is already overcrowded. Spring has finally sprung, bringing with it the promise of fluffy ducklings, cygnets, goslings and other bouncing new chicks. Everywhere we turned there’s always something fluffy running around.

The residential swans has already abandoned their nest.   The last time we checked they had 5 fluffy gray mini fluff balls all huddled up for warmth. The pair must have moved the whole family to a safer place, away from prying eyes. I hoped to see them soon during my lunch walk.

We also spotted this coot with 2 babies that only a mother could love. The chicks were engagingly ugly but thoroughly adorable. If you look closely, they were different sizes. Are they from the same nest or did Mum nest for the 2nd time? If so, she would have chased away the bigger one…

By the main lakes, it was like a creche. Harassed parents trying to keep their babies in line. I followed this Greylag family as they were walking along the path. He kept on checking me out to make sure I behaved!!! Hey, I was only taking photographs.

These ducklings were a joy to watch. They had such fun together, playing further and further away from their parents. They played hide and seek and explored the reed beds. Mum kept a watchful eye from a distance.

We went to Brandon Marsh after work on Friday. I love doing that. It’s like winding down for the weekend. We were greeted by the the call of the cuckoo echoing through the woods as we walked towards the hide. From East Marsh hide,  it was difficult to spot the Oystercatcher chicks as they were as dull gray-brown as their surroundings.

The call of the cuckoo was simply too hard to ignore. I agreed with Wordsworth.

Thrice welcome, darling of the Spring!
Even yet thou art to me
No bird, but an invisible thing,
A voice, a mystery

William Wordsworth “To the Cuckoo”

We walked to Carlton Hide and there he was perched on top of the tree. Unfortunately, he was too far to pose for us but I’m not complaining. To be able to glimpse this shy, secretive bird and hear its wandering voice was indeed a blessing.

Below the hide, we were entertained by the antics of  these gorgeous fluffy goslings. They were trying to keep warm under their Mum and nearly toppled her over. I had a lump in my throat when I saw her spreading her wings, tucking them underneath for the night. All together now, Aaah…

We also saw the Great Crested Grebe with her chicks riding on her back in the middle of the lake. Daddy was swimming back and fro with titbits, feeding them to the chicks. Again, it was too far for us to get a decent photograph and also there was not enough light.

We came here again yesterday.  We saw a Whitethroat at close range beside the hide. I think it must be nesting nearby cos it kept on flitting in and out of the bushes. Oooh, more babies.

We stopped by the pond. Babe have been taking lots of lovely photographs of the rare Great Crested Newts. It was lovely to see them swimming lazily across the pond and coming up for air. Because they are so rare across mainland Europe, Great Crested Newts are protected by British and European law, in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the European Union's Habitats and Species Directive.

Tocil Woods are now awashed with the charming sights of woodlands carpeted with blooming bluebells. The green leaves above provided the perfect canopy for the carpet of bluebells below. The May sunlight filtering through the trees makes this a very memorable sight. It is my favourite place to wonder and wander at this time of the year. Just utterly stunning…

Apart from ooing and aahing over babies and bluebells, I’m busy training another metadata assistant, WP. A big welcome to a new member of staff. So far, he was able to grasp the wonderful weird world of cataloguing and classification. He should buzz through with flying colours as he was trained at Oxford. What on earth is he doing here???

Also please checkout this video. Pet-food brand Pedigree has launched a digital campaign to raise awareness and money to help abandoned dogs.

It has partnered with the Pet Plan Charitable Trust to engage with a wider audience through a YouTube video which shows the journey of an abandoned dog. The film encourage users to donate and pass the link on to friends.

Pedigree has pledged to match consumer interaction by donating £25,000 for each 25,000 channel views up to £100,000. For every 25,000 YouTube channel views, a new chapter of the journey of the abandoned dog is shown.

Thank you.