March 01 2024 : Parkside , Cleator Moor, Cumbria

A cold wet day on West Cumbria

March 01 2024: Parkside , Cleator Moor, Cumbria

A very cold day today after a night of wind and hail, but a good wildlife day. Our normal 2 Mute Swans were missing from the pond this morning, with only a couple of Gooseanders and a few Mallards braving the cold first thing. This changed however when a single Male Mute arrived, quickly followed by the 2 regulars who were less than impressed by the new arrival. The three of them then spent an hour chasing each other around the pond before all three flew off , I can only assume none of them won the battle for the pond, so I will have to watch to see if it continues tomorrow.

Mid morning the Roe Deer appeared running through the fields, but they left one behind who stayed in the distance for most of the morning.

Once the Swans left, a lone cormorant visted for a spot of fishing along with 2 Little Grebes, but theses didn’t brave the cold for long and the pond stayed empty for the rest of the day so far.

The garden was busy with all the usual suspects – Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long tailed Tits,Coal Tits, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Tree Sparrows, Reed Buntings, Robins and Blackbirds. We also had a few Jackdaws, the pair of Pheasants along with the Collared Doves, but the star attraction today was the Red Squirrel who visted the feeders for a few minutes before heading back into the hedges along the old railway track.

Great to see the Red back again, will have to make sure I put nuts out on the feeders again now.