Friday 20 July 2012

Leabank Square Cootlings Doing Well!!




The nesting island on our riverbank has raised two families this season!! Now that last years swans (http://leabanksquare.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/leabank-square-swans-expect-triplets.html) found somewhere safer to nest - a family of coots - as well as a family of mallards took advantage of the British Waterways Nesting Island.


The coots had 5 eggs in their nest - and all of them were hatched in mid May. One of them was definitely weaker than the rest - and didn't survive a particularly heavy downpour one night. One disappeared a few days afterwards - but the 3 rd was seen being carried off by a seagull - so maybe that happened to both of them.


So the family has 2 cootlings now - and they're almost as big as their parents - with a lot more fluff about them. But they look very healthy - and are still very protected by mum & dad! To see the daily battles being played out by the parents to keep other coots, passing swans, loads of gulls, and the olympic patrol boats - spend a very enjoyable hour up on the riverbank. It's very entertaining!!

Thursday 19 July 2012

Olympic Soldiers Patrol Lea Bank








Many of us feel like Leabank Square is under siege!! The Lea Towpath & Cycle path has been shut. This is despite the fact that the Olympics have 4 metre high electric fences, thousands of CCTV's cameras, dogs patrolling inside, vigilante boats sailing up & down, very noisy & irritating helicopters circling etc, etc - they still see the need to shut off the main cycle & pedestrian route for thousands of people daily.


Add to that - now we have to stare at these soldiers marching up & down the riverbank all day & night. Still - it's probably better tan seeing the previous G4s plastic police that used to walkie-talkie along up until they cocked up their contract with the ODA.


So while Mayor Boris is encouraging us to all walk, jog & cycle to work each day - you can only do it alongside the highly dangerous trucks, buses and rat-run cars thundering down Berkshire Road.