Little Ringed Plover’s Success

In recent years I have had a licence from Natural England to photograph Little Ringed Plover at the nest on one of the moorland reservoirs. This Spring the birds returned to breed but had a major problem in that the reservoir was completely full of water with nowhere for them to lay their eggs. They remained on site for weeks but the water level did not recede and it looked as if they would have to move on to find a more suitable breeding site. What happened next was unbelievable as the female plover laid a clutch of eggs in the gravel on the anglers car park a good fifty yards from the reservoir. With the co operation of the anglers the car park was closed off and a notice was erected to ask all dog walkers to keep their dogs on a lead as they walked past. Would the eggs survive the twenty three days to hatching and would the young then make it back to the reservoir to feed? Well they did and it was an incredible success story. As the Summer progressed the water level receded and a second pair stopped to breed successfully. This week’s photo and gallery shots illustrate this second success. Click here On Hopwood the Sparrowhawks and Buzzards now have young ready to fledge. Linnets are breeding successfully for the first time in some years with Chiff Chaffs and Whitethroats still in full song. The Roe Deer now have a fawn and the sun has produced an abundance of dragonflies on the ponds