Penguin Droppings

By gen2

Ahhhhh. (Moorhen Chick)

I spent an hour and a half in the hide at Kinghorn this afternoon.
According to others present, five moorhen chicks were seen for the first time on Saturday. Yesterday, I saw three, and today they are down to two. Just what is predating them was subject to conjecture. Anyway, now with two chicks and two adults, the one-to-one attention should give them a good chance of survival.

Here it is then: a 3-day-old moorhen chick (Gallinula chloropus)

One amusing episode was when both adults ganged up on the cock pheasant (the subject of yesterday's blip) to drive it away. I don't think it would have been a threat but they weren't taking any chances.

Other regulars seen from the hide today were:
coaltit
bluetit
great tit
long-tailed tit
dunnock
wren
robin
blackbird
greater spotted woodpecker
goldfinch
greenfinch
chaffinch
coot
little grebe
great crested grebe
heron
mallard
tufted duck
greylag geese
heron
pheasant


On the way back, I looked in at the Beveridge Park and noted that the ringed coot was NOT present. It has always been in the same spot for the last couple of months so I fear the worst. I'll keep checking though. It was too tame and too trusting for its own good.
There have been no black-headed gulls for a while now so they must have returned to Lithuania.
Also, there have been no recent sightings of the ringed greylag either so could it be nesting? or has it moved on?

Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.