More snowdrops!

I thought I had done my last snowdrop blip for this year, but I found these ones when I went into work to see my colleagues.

After that I went to Blackford Pond for the first time since the beginning of December to see what was happening there. Not surprisingly the water level was high and most of the island was submerged. The swan pair seemed to be using part of the bank on the far side to sit out of the water, but that wouldn't be a good place for nesting, so I hope the water level goes down - and stays down - soon. I've added an extra photo of the male swan who has got his reddish crown back. All of last year's cygnets had clearly gone, I just hope they have arrived somewhere safe with lots of other young swans! I soon spotted that there was a pair of Canada geese as Mr Swan was on the warpath - like the last male swan, it seems that geese are anathema and there was a fair amount of chasing about the pond before the geese settled for grazing on the bank.

There were also a number of tufted ducks, the males looking very fine with their tufts and irridescent purple/black heads, several moorhens, one coot, a few mallards and lots of black headed gulls, some with black (or dark brown) heads, some getting their black heads and some still with just a smudge.

I didn't see any rats on this visit - maybe the high water level has flooded them out, although they probably haven't gone far! There was a notice up about feeding the birds responsibly and throwing out any surplus food, but it didn't say anything about what to feed them on. I suppose it would be virtually impossible to stop people feeding the birds altogether, but I do think they could go a bit further with their advice and point out that the pond is plagued by rats because of the surplus food. End of lecture!