A brief post work visit this evening in the hope of adding Common Swift to the yearlist in the overcast conditions drew a blank but there were still one or two things of interest. Two pairs of Shelduck were on Orchard Wharf, a perfect undisturbed place for them to breed. The females looked very wary and the males were displaying at each other, both of the females managed to slip away, presumably back to their nests whilst I was busy watching the males; if all goes well the ducklings should appear around the first week of June but there are lots of foxes at this site, which could cause a problem, although most of the Mallards seem to have got off their broods without the unwelcome attention of this increasing opportunistic predator; a pair of Canada Geese with four downy young were on Bow Creek , the second pair to have bred this year and the two Portuguese saddled Tufted Ducks were on the basin, part of a flock of 22 birds, a good late May count for the Lower Lea.
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