Wolves Wild

An alder leaf beetle on a leaf. I didn’t take much notice what kind of leaf it was on, but it definitely wasn’t an alder.

One of the many rats living in West Park, half-emerging from under the bush which quite likely is over its rat-hole. It was manipulating something (I couldn’t see what) with its front paws, then nibbling at it.

A face-off between two of the West Park coots, while a third looked on intently. Presumably the two birds adopting a threat posture were rival males, with an interloper getting too close to the other’s mate.

The threats didn’t develop into actual contact: that can look quite nasty with coots, deploying their vicious-looking feet as well as beaks. The onlooker eventually turned round and started swimming away. The other pair lost eye contact, and headed for well-separated parts of the bank to climb on land and walk off ignoring each other.

Male blackbird among the thick vegetation around the edge of the pond at Bantock Park. Traces of soil on his beak show traces of his efforts to probe the soft ground of the shoreline for creatures to eat, or perhaps to take back to the nest.

I think these coot chicks are from the first brood to hatch in West Park this year. If so, they’ve grown big enough to make forays half way round the island.

They’ve also grown big enough to forage for some of their own food, while still able to persuade the parents to feed them almost continually.

If it is the same chicks, the numbers, sadly, have fallen from five to two or perhaps three despite the parents’ efforts.

More from Bantock Park. The pool, which really is tidy. Surely, back in the days when the land was a working farm, the pond must have been bigger than this?

Whatever, these pictures were taken a couple of weeks abo when the marsh marigold flowers were about at their best.