Grebes have young but they have...

As most people seem to be out enjoying the summer weather, holidays and Pokemon Go I have decided to publish less blogs until the Nights start to draw in. Most posts will be from the beginning of the summer but today I have decided to write about some strange goings on. 

A few weeks ago after thinking the nesting season was over we noticed the Grebes on the local lake had finally hatched there eggs. The pair had 2 young which rode on there backs for a few days and the pair grew quickly. Everything was fine for about two weeks till a week ago when all 4 disappeared from the lake. We checked the surrounding pools and canal  but they could not be found. While walking and kayaking I spotted a few dead birds floating in the water but it had not occurred to me it could have been the grebes till I noticed they had disappeared. I am not sure if it was a natural predator, human intervention or they left the area but I think they were too young to fly so I'm hoping a natural predator but i. More investigation needed I think and first I'll chat to the locals and keep an eye out while biking, jogging, walking and kayaking. I have a few new camera mounts for filming wildlife over the next year. I have developed one that is perfect for underwater and for when I'm riding my bike as I keep bumping into things without having a camera accessible while out biking. Abit of good news on the 11th August as there is a family matching there numbers abit further up in the canal.

The photograph below is of my first Action camera wrist mount prototype

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

Strange Fish by the canalside

A few weeks ago while counting the Swans for my brothers records along the Trent and Mersey canal we spotted the body of a large fish on the towpath and it was very unique. As soon as I saw the fish I new it was a freshwater sturgeon and I reported to the Canal and River trust on Twitter. I sent them the photographs below and as you can see it was very decomposed plus it really was smelly. I'm guessing it died a couple of months ago and was either dumped dead into the canal or was released and then died in the low Oxygenated water on the canal.

I was informed by the CRT fishing experts it was a Sterlet and you can click here to learn more about them.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe

Mike

Spring sign of the day

After a few hours of site editing on my PC I decided to take a break and head out for a walk in the sun. I took a walk by the TandM canal and ended up chilling by the river in some lovely energizing sunshine. The birds were singing in full song, I especially love to hear Greenfinches trilling on a warm and sunny morning the only other thing I needed was the smell of cut grass. To me it's the simple things in life that are the best and I could have easily stayed in that moment for a while.

I also spotted another sign of spring which was a brown furry caterpillar crawling up the post where I was sitting.

I think it's a Moth caterpillar but I am not sure what species if you know then let me know.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe

Mike

A cool find by the river

While walking along the canal the other morning to see if there the Swans or Grebes had returned to the lake. Something caught my eye at the side of the canal where the old vegetation had died back revealing a Swan skeleton which I think was from 2014. Last summer a yearling died after fighting with the local pair which at that time was Flash and Snow, it started as a territory dispute although sad it's natural behavior. I have seen some people locally break up these fights by hitting the attacking swan. I think that's wrong and as it's a natural event I don't believe we should step in but if one of the Swans was pushed onto a road by the attacking swan then humans should step in. I remember seeing the Swans body floating on the canal and then it disappeared. I'm guessing somebody took the bird out of the water and placed it in the thick vegetation to rot away naturally.

The skull is an unusual find due to the condition as it's very fragile due to high light the bones are. We only took the skull and left the rest of the Swan as it will be great for future talks and showing people as I am sure there are not many people who have seen a Mute Swan skull.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

A sunny day with Swans on ice

While taking a quick walk in the sunshine to find a sheltered spot by the river to enjoy the sound of the rippling water and the bright warm sun. We saw many Goosanders and Kingfishers down on the river Dane as the canal was to frozen for them to feed and as the river runs along side the canal it's perfect for wildlife to move from one to the other. When the river floods and gets murky the birds move from the river to the canal. This Swan and it's mate decided it would be better to sit on the canal ice rather than walk on it.

It was great to watch the pair navigate the thick and slippy ice to get back to each other before taking off to possibly return to the local Swannery.

A few days later the ice melted but Flash and his mate Whisper left before the ice came in and I am hoping that once it gets abit warmer they will return to begin nest building. My filming will begin at this point as I hope to follow them through the season and show a few things that this pair gets up to when raising a family on my local patch.

I got a lovely few hours in the sun that day as we were out of the cold wind and you would not believe it was winter in the spot we found down by the river.

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

Buzzard, Snow and sheltering with the Swans

Over the past few weeks while walking around my local patch we have been seeing a Buzzard near one of the Roman historical areas by the T&M canal. It seemed to be not bothered by us getting close to it and over the next few days I pushed even closer right up to it's circle of fear. The Buzzards here always come close to the towns when we get winter snow and the ground freezes. I guess it's because it gets harder to feed in the countryside and they come to the warmer areas to search for food, so I new it would be around for a while and over the week I found it was feeding on worms in a small and quiet woodland area by the river.
Buzzard perches on a Roman Middlewich information board

Hunting on the river

The local Cemetery covered in snow

I also photographed Flash and Whisper during a snow storm while we sheltered under a canal bridge to wait out the wind that came out of know where and the pair joined us to shelter to. I was only happy to share some of my lunch with them as we were both snowed into this cozy little area.

Before the wind and snow began.....

Thanks for reading my blog

Stay wild, be happy and be safe
 

Mike

Next time -Closer to a stunning bird of prey- Next time

Flashes disappearance!!!!!!!

An interesting one today and as Flash the male Mute Swan who I have been filming raising his Cygnets with his mates over the years disappeared for a few weeks and we could not find out where he was. Not sure if he may have died of old age, predation ie.Otter, Fox, flying into power cables or whether he had been taken by Eastern Europeans which I have observed in the area lately it was very worrying. But this morning in the local news paper he turned up and was rescued near his territory on the local canal near Middlewich. Hopefully he will be released next week to his own patch which he will defend and his mate may return or a new female may show up.

The article was wrong in some places about the number of Cygnets but that's trivial stuff.
 Regarding his mate which I named Snow did not die as she and Flash separated/divorced. She used the opportunity of a another Swan dying which was a younger bird as it had grey feathers to escape as we checked the dead Swan to confirm. Snow went off down the river in search of pastures new but will she return in time for spring?!?!?....

Swan divorce is RARE BUT IT'S A TRUE FACT http://www.mnn.com/…/10-bird-species-that-get-di…/mute-swans

  
So stay wild, be happy and be safe

Mike

Sun, wind and the possible return of Snow!!!

A great walk this afternoon as we finally found our missing male Mute swan Flash who's one of the main characters on my YouTube channel series and a bird I have been filming for a while. We found him on a small pool on the outskirts of my local patch with a female swan but as the pool is fenced off. I could not tell if the female was unringed like his previous mate Snow who disappeared in the summer months. I new it was Flash without seeing his leg tag as he responded to our whistles and came across from the opposite side of the pool to see us.

Hopefully they will return to there nesting area in the next month to begin there winter courtship and defend there territory before nest building in late February/early March in 2015.

So stay wild, be happy and be safe

Mike

The destruction of Reed beds by the CRT :-(

A very unfortunate post today as a few weeks ago I passed an area of reed beds on my local patch. The Reed beds area very special area to wildlife here along the canal and we found a few areas had been cut right back by the Canal and River Trust or there contractors Fountains. As the reeds were still green and thick plus being used by nesting water birds so I believe that should not have been done till the Winter months or if it should have been cut at all along any of the Canals but this was on the Trent and Mersey Canal from Middlewich to Northwich and we found large areas of Reed beds had been cut back but my question is had the reed beds been checked for active nests first before cutting.

I sent the email below and everything they are doing to the vegetation along the Canal goes against every thing they are promoting about caring about Wildlife and the habitat that many of the mammals and birds rely on plus some species that are protected and in need of conservation. I brought it up with them and they asked for my advice to email to there ecologist who I don't think even checked the area as they were on holiday. They have cut lots of reeds and some still had nests in and the photo above was take a week before the cut.

Here's my email informing them of there mistakes plus RSPB research into importance of reed beds on the environment and water quality.

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Thank you for reading and appreciating my knowledge of the T&M Croxton Cattle bridge to past the Croxton flash. This stretch is an important area for wildlife and as I have been filming/photographing wildlife in this area for over 15 years.

I have attached a map and other photographs of the area and a recent photo of Moorhens just hatched and after the Moorhens left a coot used the nest and had begun to take reeds back to the nest.The Reed beds here are so important as Reed buntings, Sedge and Reed Warblers nest in this area as well as Cuckoos who lay there eggs in them.

 The reed beds that have been cut back are important natural trails which allow mammals and birds to move between areas without being vulnerable to predation or attack from Dogs, humans and natural predators so by cutting the reeds here you have disturbed the area meaning rarer animals such as Otters may not return to the area and head off back to the rivers where there's more cover therefore disrupting there behavior.

 When we had the breach here a few years ago the water levels were lowered to repair the bank and this meant the reeds were vulnerable and the frost got in and killed lots of the important reed beds in a few areas just past this stretch and have not totally recovered meaning less nesting sights for birds mentioned above. And as you have cut it will take years for these important areas that keep the water healthy and free of pollution which affects the fish health in the area.The smallest imbalance can have dire consequences along the chain of life.

The reeds did not need cutting back here as in the winter the heavy rain, ice and Snow cause them to die back naturally making the canal wider and more navigational without causing harm to the habitat and letting in invasive species of plant such as floating Penny wort.

   My question is why cut back reeds when the extra space on the water is not needed as there's low boat traffic until next Summer when hopefully the reeds may recover?
 
 This area is more important than other areas along the canal as a few miles away near Davenam. This flash had all its reeds ripped out to turn into a mooring before Spring 2014 meaning when all the reed nesting birds arrived there old nesting grounds were not available so the birds moved into the thinner sections of the reeds which have now been destroyed so when they return in March 2015 there new nesting sites are now gone. The Reed beds also provided a way for Otters to sleep and hunt in the day and move along the canal through the thick vegetation which is now gone.

One thing you may not realize is by cutting back so much you are leaving mammals (especially Otters and Badger setts) and birds very vulnerable to danger from human interference especially along the stretch from Croxton Aqueduct to Whatcroft as the canals are bordered by hunting land where people hunt legally and illegally as I have seen it going on every Autumn and Winter due to lack of vegetation but unable to get video as they are highly aggressive and unscrupulous people(poachers). Now the vegetation has been cut back more the creatures are even more vulnerable now due to CRT actions and more cut backs here will do just that!!! I have heard individuals here saying they should put paracetamols down Badgers setts or they'd shoot Otters if they see them.

 So you see why I'm upset as I am sure an Ecologist would not take on board Humans with air rifles as an effect into deciding on if its the right thing on cutting back areas where wildlife could be at risk from being shot. But that's the truth and the areas will be open for these idiots to shoot anything in the open on the opposite banks when normally wildlife would have had a little cover to escape but now it seems CRT are trying to justify there reasons for removing so much vegetation that will have dire consequences.

 Reed beds and vegetation are so important for not just nesting for Winter roosting migrant birds and Starlings which are now a Red status bird (Globally threatened )and they roosted right in that area by Croxton Canal Bridge last winter which I filmed and now there reed bed roosting spot which was out of the wind is gone which may really hurt there numbers this year. There my be reeds on the flash nearby but those reeds die back and flatten quick in the wind due to being in an unsheltered spot.

  If the Canal and River trust instruct or allow Fountains or CRT workers to cause damage or disruption to the area of habitat marked or to the wildlife in this area then I will be documenting and letting the public know of my facts and findings. I have given my advice of over 15 years of observing this important and special habitat to you, so if this is ignored it shows the CRT does not truly care as much about Nature as it says. Without these areas being left uncut and untouched the wildlife is left without a home by destroying these places you are taking homes from Nature not helping or encouraging there numbers.

 I hope that I am wrong and that the CRT do care and wish to help nature but it remains to be seen whether the CRT know that they are doing so much damage and the huge effect they are having on this important habitat which 100's of species of mammals, insects, birds and fish need to survive and thrive but any cut here will destroy that and unbalance Nature where it may never recover.

 Regarding a Coot/water bird nests in the area you cut as its a false second spring with it being warm and still summary weather the birds have been lured into nesting and having eggs chicks late. I photographed Moorhens with chicks there a week before just hatched and when they left the nest a Coot was seen taking material into the reeds where the nest was 1-2 meters from Croxton Cattle bridge about half a meter into the reeds from the canal which has been destroyed possibly with eggs in.

BIRD NESTING IS DICTATED BY SEASONAL TEMPERATURES AND SIGNS IN NATURE NOT BY THE SAME CALENDER WE WORK BY!!!

The reeds should have been left till they went brown as at the minute that are still being used by birds as there were still Green and growing due to the predicted warmer Autumn temperatures.

What Other work will be going on here from Middlewich at Croxton Recycling center to Whatcroft on the T&M from now till the end of March including by CRT workers and any other private contractors IE: Fountains or Plano.

I've said my bit and I hope you take my information and opinion into account as I am passionate about this


Regards

Mike Mottram
PS: I would reed this researched by the RSPB :
http://www.rspb.org.uk/whatwedo/projects/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-210865

 As Reeds are also important for Water voles which I see you are trying to promote as it seems the CRT are losing colonies along the Shropshire and I think I understand that removal of reeds and vegetation could be impacting there survival. leaving them vulnerable to Mink as it seems if there were more reed beds and vegetation on the canals Water voles would be doing better and they would have a greater chance of survival.

One last thought "What the Canal and River Trust give with one hand they are taking away with the other" Meaning your putting up Bat boxes and bird boxes on one stretch of canal helping Nature and then ripping out so many more in the process just to make the canal a half a meter wider to allow 2 boats through at a time when there was no issues to begin with. I thought Canal boating was about patience and a slower pace of life to enjoy the scenery and WILDLIFE.

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A very long and informed email to persuade them to leave a small area for wildlife to get away from people and be safe in cover.

This is what I got back after them asking for my advice when there ecologist is supposed to know and consider all the above so it seems very suspicious in my opinion.

Thanks for getting back to us in such detail.

 I’ve forwarded your email to the ecologist who deals with that particular area. I believe she’s on leave for the next week or so, but she’ll be able to respond on her return. Thank you again for taking the time to give us such a comprehensive response.

We shall see on what reply I get from The Canal and River Trusts and what there Ecologist says and as they seem to have stopped cutting in the area I advised them to leave. I shall be watching the area over the next few weeks. There workers from Fountains are currently cutting trees on the opposite canal bank just past this area but they seem to be leaving more vegetation and if they cut to much vegetation in this area they would make a Badger sett vulnerable after it has been safe and covered from any passing human interaction. Hopefully that won't be the case as over the Autumn and winter months I walk this area regularly to make sure No wildlife crimes are being committed here and lots of areas on my local patch.

  You can make your own minds up but to me it seems the Canal and River Trust are another one on the list that says it cares about the environment but I have not seen any evidence of that over the past few years.

Thank you for reading

Mike

Kayaking on the lake at sunset with Swans

Last week I enjoyed a lovely few hours kayaking on the lake at sunset with Flash and his 4 cygnets. As usual they were keen to have a few Sugar puffs from the front of my kayak plus have a few pecks of me and my boat.

 I managed to film the scene from my Kayak on my Iphone which was a nice experience
Calm water, Curlews and Gulls calling plus a stunning sunset was a bonus

Holding my I-phone just on the waters surface

Beautiful end to the day as a cold chill came in as the sun went below the horizon

It won't be long till the Swans are enjoying ripe apples that fall from the trees into the canal

On the way to the lake I passed the river and I thought I should get a few panorama photographs before the leaves fall from the trees and the river Dane looks totally different. I hope to get one panorama from this spot each season and hopefully this winter we shall get some snow. As last winter we had no frosts at all and the water never froze on the rivers and canals which I was glad about as I had my Canal boat then. I only noticed the other day that it's nearly been a year on the 1st of October when I first purchased my Cruiser that I had to sell due to health issues the boat was causing me.

Thanks for visiting
 

Mike

Swallows on the Shropshire Canal

On a long walk by the Shropshire union canal last week at Middlewich we ended up having a break on a wooden cattle bridge and there were lots of Swallows feeding on insects and drinking from the canal. Three newly fledged Swallows landed on a Iron guard that stops people climbing on a pipe which goes over the canal and is level with the bridge we were resting on. The bridge provided a great location to get some close up photographs of them with a green background of the nearby fields. A Canal boat passed underneath them which startled them and they flew off and landed on nearby power lines.

Thanks for visiting 

Mike

www.Gowildlifewatching.co.uk
www.MikeMottram.co.uk

Mallard family on there own floating island

Finding Dragonflies, Carp and a big Coot family

As today was hot with a decent breeze I set off to some canal side ponds a few miles from my home to try and find somewhere with plenty of dragonfly's. I arrived at the ponds and there were lots of different Dragonfly's darting about on the surface feeding I managed to film a newly hatched dragonfly on a reed but I am not sure what species it was but hopefully I can get back down there next week for a few hours to film them.

 

I also saw a huge Coot family with 7 young of different sizes normally I have only seen them with 3-4 young on the pond but this year they was plenty of food and cover but unfortunately they are right next to a railway. Lets hope Foxes don't discover them as it would be great to see them all get to adulthood.

Big family

They were lots of carp feeding I think they were Mirror carp on the pond surface but they seemed very calm and staying on the surface for along time and this was something I have never seen before especially so many which made me think they were getting ready to spawn very soon as they were not feeding.

Regards

Mike

Photographing Coal tits from my garden hide

Today I saw a coal tit feeding its young in my garden but could not get close enough to get a good photo. I decided to fit an old hanging bird table to my garden hide window so I could sit at my bench and photograph the coal tit and other birds from inside my hide. Below is the result of some of my attempts to photograph the coal tits and was quite pleased with the results and after I took these photos they left the garden.

 Regards

Mike

Visiting the great orme and a short wildlife film idea for 2011!!!!

Today I set off to visit the Great Orme at Llandudno on the North wales coast to see what was happening with the wildlife. It's very this busy time of the year and I wanted to see what I could film. It seems every time I visit the Great Orme it never disappoints as there is always wildlife to film. Whether its the goats that live on the Great orme's slopes or the Peregrines, Kestrels and Fulmar that glide along the cliff edges.

Here are a few clips of the beauty of the Great Orme in North wales
Fulmars in there nest

My first ever Peregrine sighting!!!

Jackdaw gathering nesting material from a Goat

As I love Llandudno and spend all of my holidays there I have decided to make a short documentary about the Great Ormes mammals, Birds, Insects, and the Cetaceans that pass by the Orme at different times of the year over the next 2 years from 2010/2011. It seems no one has ever made a film that shows how rich and captivating the wildlife and the Ormes views are.

Regards

Mike

Damselflies on the river Dane

Today I decided to go down to the river and check for otter signs but no luck due to the rain we had last night. I think all the rain washed away any tracks and spraint but never mind I will keep checking all the areas that I have only recently just discovered that seem perfect for otters to use as commuting routes. While I was down by the river I found an area that was teeming with Damselflies from blue to red to green. I think the males are blue and the females are emerald green. I watched a female fly by all the males who would try and keep up with her and the one who caught up with her was the victor. After mounting they would land on the surface weed or a grass stalk to mate. Some males got abit to excited and started in mid air or on the surface weed in really fast water and getting washed away. When they are successful they come together into a heart shape which is very strange and calming to watch as two insects form such a unique shape that means so much to us humans.
Male

Female

 Regards

Mike

Camera trap night 4 of 5 results and Young Tawny owls

 After checking the camera traps I had 38 videos that had been recorded overnight. I took my Laptop with me so I could check the videos straight away instead of heading on the long walk back home. No badgers had been filmed on the card as only a mouse that probably lived down one of the badgers holes kept eating peanuts and scampering around. After packing up my camera traps to head home and feeling disapointed with the results I had got I decided on exploring nearby. Close to the Badger sett is a small woodland adjacent to the canal and I heard a blackbird alarm calling so I decided to check it out. Amazingly it was a bird I had never seen in the wild and it was a stunning adult Tawny owl. The bird was hunting and I was so pleased I managed to get a great shot of it with a young blackbird chick in its talons which it caught to feed its 4 young that had left the nest recently.

As the Adult called the Owlets answered back and led me to there location. So after creeping closer I managed to film the young and adults as they sat in the sun. Its the first time I have ever filmed an Owl and hopefully not the last. After disappointed with the Badger camera trap it turned out it was a great day after all and another bird off the list. I will keep an eye on the Tawny owls for the next few days to try and film them flying and feeding the owlets before they leave the area to find territory's of there own.
Adult in the shadows of an old Oak

Owlet looking down through the canopy at me

Regards

Mike

Camera trap set up in possible Otter and Badger Location

Today I decided to setup my camera trap in an area where I found a small brook and woodland. The area is a good few miles walk from my home and the new area was near a canal, I found a small badger sett which showed some good signs of activity including fresh digging and plenty of stinky latrines that were very close to the sett meaning this was a new group of badgers to film.

Nearby I found some Otter spraint on a group of rocks in the stream and a possibility of a holt close to the rocks where I found the spraint. I ended up going back hope for some salmon and if l leave some fish as well as peanuts/fruit by the brook near the spraint and close to the sett to see what I can film. I hope to get Badgers and Otters  filmed together or one or the other but in one night !!!!. I left feeling excited but nervous about leaving my camera trap so far from home so I think that I will be up early tomorrow to collect my camera trap. I will take my camcorder with me in case I have any wild encounters on the way and hopefully I may see an early morning Barn owl.

As I had another smaller camera trap with me and a spare apple I decided to leave it on a possible Water vole run by the stream and check that to the next day to see if any small mammals show up to take a bite.

Regards

Mike

Camera trap night 3 of 5 results and checking out an possible otter slide

For night 3 of camera trapping week I thought that I would put the camera by a small woodland stream that comes off the river Dane. I hoped to see if anything was coming off the river to rest or entering the river via the stream but all I got was a cat. I also recorded a Buzzard and Owl calling at 11pm in the darkness of a woodland on the opposite bank. Also today I went to check out a small stream on the edge of Middlewich where otter signs have been seen in 2007. I have only just found this information so I decided to check it out. The first thing that I noticed was a few scratch marks in the clay close to a bank. The bank which leads into a small woodland and the second thing I noticed was a few bare patches of mud leading up the bank into the woodland in various places. I will place a camera trap sometime by the stream to see what I get. I found no clear signs so I could not sure of what animal was making the marks and due to the rain this week most things are getting washed away.

   Regards

Mike

Kingfisher watching from my 2 man hide

Today I decided to get out by the river for a few hours to get some footage of kingfishers on the river Dane with my Camcorder. Plus I had a new piece of kit that I put together which consists of a bullet camera, mini DV recorder, 15 metres of AV cable and a broken Umbrella handle. You put all that together and it makes a great perch camera setup. After waiting a few hours it seems that they were not interested in perching on my perch and it seemed to be more active on the opposite bank where I managed to get some quick shots of them.
Fight!!!!!!!

Hide and beak

Fishing in the rain

Regards

Mike

Camera trap night 2 of 5 results and an early morning canal walk

Sticking with the project on the river I retrieved the camera trap for the 2nd time and the camera had 3 videos on it. Two of which were recorded between 4am and 5am in darkness guessing as first light. It was set off by a Magpie and then a Mayfly which shows how sensitive the Prowler HD is. The last one was recorded at 8pm the night before in daylight and it was a Magpie so still no luck.

I was getting a little down about not capturing anything exciting so Later that morning I packed up my camcorder and set off down the canal for a long relaxing walk. I ended up passing by the canal reed beds to search for the Reed warblers and Reed buntings. As I went passed a farmers field I noticed a brown bird that was calling in the long grass. I could not be sure if it was a young starling or a  Dunnock as its call seemed very different from both of the juvenile starling and Dunnock calls.
I later found out that this was a Grasshopper Warbler and there very difficult to see.

Adult Coot and its baby

The Heron gets its fish

 Regards

Mike