Tags
#365DaysWild, baby birds, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Moorhen, Moorhen chicks
At 9am this morning, one of these Moorhen parents was still sitting on five eggs. By the time I got to the pond at 11.30 there were five newly hatched little bundles of fluff, two of which were already venturing out of the nest. And Mum and Dad were already mating, in preparation for their next brood. If these are the same Moorhens that bred at this site last year, they had three broods in total, I think, and those born first were helping the parents feed the subsequent generations. Iβll be keeping an eye on what happens this year.
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Love moorhen chicks with their outsized feet. On a local pond I’ve seen big gulls take the chicks, don’t know how often – the moorhens seem to maintain their population though, I’m happy to say.
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I’ve seen gulls take coot chicks but not moorhen, but I guess that’s why they produce as many broods as possible, to make up for those losses.
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Awww, how cute they are! Nice images!
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Thanks, Shelly. They’re ugly-cute. π
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Amazing! I never knew they had more than one brood.
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It’s a hard life being a Moorhen. π
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Haha!
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Colourful little faces.
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Presumably that colour says ‘Feed me’ to their parents. π
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