at what cost?? Many 'small' waters have dried out completely and been
lost and I thought that VP with it's fish population had survived
(just). I and many others may have thought wrong, the environment and is
a fickle thing and only now, weeks after the recovery of the water
began, is the true toll being revealed?
During late Summer, the cormorants in counts of over 40 birds
relentlessly trawled the residual pool at the eastern end - how many
small fish remain? The large Carp, often seen spawning in the shallow
are now clearly suffering terminally. Whether this is due to low oxygen
levels, lack of food, build up of toxins I don't know. What I do know is
the 'occasional' corpse is now becoming a steady stream of fodder for
the corvids and gulls on a daily basis and it doesn't make a pleasant
sight!
The scene today and the sight of a Buzzard doing an Osprey impression
did not happen! It was peck, pick, peck from the Corvids.....
and Black-headed Gulls as they picked the flesh clean.
On a brighter note, the frosty start meant there was no water for the
wildfowl but try telling that to the Teal. They flew round and round for
ages and I have tried to do them justice in the next post.....
