Wildlife – an Autumn update from Richard Sales

Our pair of male swans did not go to the Thames to moult this year but stayed here. The long term resident Egyptian goose pair who lost their breeding nest tree have been eased out by a younger pair who have not yet bred.

Despite the fact that the Cascade hasn’t been working for over a year, we haven’t had any cases of botulism or blue green algae. This is probably due to regular filling of the lake by use of the ‘portcullis’ in the block-house on the Thames and the fact that the hot period over the summer only lasted for about 10 days. This also seems to have kept the blanket weed in check.

As far as the breeding season goes, very few mallard ducklings survived predation by the usual suspects.  Moorhen and coot had a good summer but, strangely, we had no tufted ducklings for the first time since they started breeding here in 2013. If anyone has seen these ducklings on any other London lakes I would like to know.