3 Attachment(s)
Coot family - Fulica atra
I will start by apologising - I was POSITIVE that I'd posted this (I even remember writing the story that went with it!), but when I tried to check which photos I'd used I couldn't find it. So, IF I have already done this, sorry.
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Last Wednesday I popped over to the town-centre Lock to check out what was going on - to see which families were about and especially to see if the Coot nest I spotted being 'touched up' a couple of weeks ago was progressing. I was pleasantly surprised to see a little red-head poking out from the nest, Mum and Dad both present, although disappointed that here as only one. A woman stopped and chatted and when I mentioned that she said that there was a pair who nested here that normally came out with 2 chicks.
I moved on after watching for a while to check out what I actually came for. On my return I took another look at the little family only to realise that there were now TWO red heads tucked in by mum. I watched for a while only to see one little-one join dad in the water albeit not going far from the undergrowth.
Although the undergrowth on their side is too thick to see through, I decided to take a chance and pottered over to that side of the canal, and I was in luck - there was one little spot to look through and they were polite enough to slowly swim in front :)
