Coot family

When I came home from work today and got off the bus at the stop, which is at the other side of the road from the apartment and nearest to the place where the Great Crested Grebes had been nesting, the change to the area was immediately apparent.

There used to be a circle of pipes and blocks with a somewhat open structure where plants could grow among. This provided some sort of barrier for a large natural paddling and swimming pool for dogs, but more importantly a nesting area for several birds and also a resting and hiding place for their chicks. It had suffered some damage from the stormy weather that we had a while ago and had drifted apart a little, but it was still being used by the birds.

All this had been removed earlier in the day and a circle of large interlocking blocks with a closed surface, which floated higher on top of the water had been put in its place. Some of them can partially be seen in the extra photo of the Heron, who was visiting the area and didn't seem to be bothered by the change. I have no idea though if other birds had still been nesting among the vegetation when it was removed, but it was a relief to know that the Great Crested Grebes with their chicks had safely left their nest on Tuesday. I also don't know whether this new blatantly artificial looking structure is permanent or may at some point be replaced by something else that looks more natural for the area like the old one did. One thing that is certain though, is that this new barrier is much too high for the chicks of the Coot family from today's entry to get onto from the water and they are now forced to come on land nearer to a sometimes quite busy road where they are also more at risk from passing dogs.