Rare, it seems...

After yesterday's persistent rain, the dawn broke cloudless today. So, up at 4:00am and down to the river to see what was happening. My first stop was the swans nest (photographed last week), but it was deserted. I was informed by a dog-walker that there are seven cygnets at the site, meaning that all the eggs hatched and the contents survived.
So, drawing a blank, I decide to concentrate my attention on damselflies. Several species were present, but the one photographed here is something of a rarity, it seems. I have identified it as a Scarce Blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura pumilio), that at one point was thought to be extinct. It's mostly the destruction of their habitat that reduces the numbers (isn't it always?), but this site would appear to be secure for the foreseeable future.

© 2007

Boscombe pier renovation...

The work on Boscombe pier continues, and the Mermaid theatre that once stood on the end has now gone. This is part of a six month renovation which will shorten the pier and make it into a T shape. The foundations are also being strengthened and the planking replaced. Work should be completed by October.

© 2007

Building progress...

The image shows how far the development of the Boscombe beach area has progressed to date. The shot was taken at 6:40am today, before any builders appeared on the site.

© 2007

Moments old...

I returned to the nest during the early evening, and my timing couldn't have been better, as I witnessed one of the remaining eggs hatching. Although the mother obscured the event for the most part by sitting on the clutch, the image shows the cygnet at less than 5 minutes old, and was photographed at 7:13pm today.

© 2007

New family...

The nesting swans (see April) had eventually laid seven eggs. Today, those eggs were hatching, and by the time the photograph was made at 6:30 this morning, there were five cygnets visible. I waited a further three hours for the mother to reveal the newly hatched birds to the world again, and after getting more shots decided to leave the swans in peace.

© 2007

Damselfly...

The weather forecast for today featured a clear start, and with sunrise at around 5:25am, I headed for the river. I've recently been trying to photograph the local moorhen, but on each occasion it presents itself, it is either too far away, or the light is too poor to get anything worthwhile. Today, the bird was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear its calls. Whilst walking through the long grass in search of my intended subject, I noticed an evasive movement at my feet. I identified it as a damselfly, which had come to rest nearby. Despite having a long telephoto lens on my camera I was still able to get several shots due to the close focusing ability of the lens, before it flew off. Try as I might, I am not able to identify the species with any certainty, but it looks like an Emerald Damselfly.

© 2007

Under Dorset skies...

Boscombe Spa Village, Dorset, is now beginning to show signs of real progress beneath stormy skies, while the pier demolition work continues at a slower pace.

There has, however, been a major blunder by the local council re: vermin control. For many years now, the end of the pier has been closed to the public because the structure was deemed unsafe. This gave more than ample time for the rat and pigeon populations to enjoy a boom time (independent of each other, of course), unimpeded by human presence. Instead of curbing the rat infestation before demolition began, it was decided that the wild rock doves (pigeons to you and me) should be eradicated first, solely by knocking down their roosts with a mechanical digger. The rats, not being too happy about their cosy home being violated, made the (predictable?) move along the neck of the pier (rats leaving a sinking ship), and thus ashore, to plague the inhabitants of the local beach establishments. The birds now have no home, and the rat population still exists, albeit at a slightly different location, and has become a hazard to the residents.

Local government...it gets my vote! (yeah, right)

© 2007

May Day holiday...

Despite the fact that it's been overcast and trying to rain for most of the day (typical for a UK public holiday) the weather eventually cleared during late afternoon and the sun appeared, shortly followed by the aroma of barbecued food wafting across the garden fence. So I took the opportunity to photograph the progress of the renovation of one of my local piers. The entrance now sports the legend Boscombe Pier, while demolition continues on the pier head.

© 2007