June 7th – The waterlife went mad today. Riding along the canal to Chasewater, I noticed the tadpoles had hatched en masse; they seem very, very late. They swarmed and clumped on the algae at the canal side, and fish and birds were picking them off. I watched a common tern take something from the water, and sadly, Mrs. Swan has finally vacated the nest at Catshill. Whether she actually hatched any chicks or not, I don’t know, as there was no trace of either parent, but Mrs. mallard and brood seem to have taken advantage of the empty nest.
Pedro Cutler will appreciate this entry. This one was for you, old chap…




