Life and times on Broomfield Lakes....
In February 2022 two young adult swans arrived in Broomfield Park. Raymond, who worked in the park, dubbed them Julia and Caesar. Over the last year we have had the pleasure of witnessing Julia and Caesar raise 3 cygnets from their first hatching on 31 May. As we came to know their characters we named them Dozy, Beaky and Titch (after a 60s pop group). Their parents raised them with great care and dedication.
At the same time moorhens, coots, malklard and tufted ducks and canada geese all tried to raise their young ones.
The birds faced several challenges, particularly during nesting season when their chicks are so vulnerable.
FoBP Lakes Team volunteers worked to support them, trying to protect their young from the dangers of gulls and dogs.
We are very grateful to park visitors for their interest, care in feeding healthy food (not bread!), avoiding litter and keeping dogs on a lead near the lakes. People were also very helpful in stepping in to advise visitors who were not following simple guidelines to keep our birds safe.
Together with dedicated FoBP volunteers and such a passionate community, we have built a sanctuary area, provided protective barriers and housing, carried out regular litter picking to clean the lakes, and placed informative signs about healthy and nutritious food for the birds and reducing the risk of avian flu. We have plans to do a lot more.
Early this year the swan family not only had to contend with iced up lakes but also had to defend themselves from an attacking intruder swan. Cyrius (aka Jaws), the Grovelands cob, lost his mate to avian flu. He decided to try to carry Julia off by attacking Caesar. There was a long saga of attack, counter attack and injury on both sides. Julia showed her preference and dedication to her mate, calling for him when they were separated and helping him cope with the ice when he was injured. Cyrius had to fly off defeated without her. We are pleased to report that he now seems to have found a new lady love, hopefully leaving our own family in peace to build a nest and prepare for the next batch of eggs and hatchlings.
We had the joy and privilege of watching the three cygnets from last summer grow into strong, healthy 8 months old cygnets, and stay in the park, free from the risk of avian flu which killed so many swans over the winter. On February 3rd Julia and Caesar decided it was time for them to fledge the nest and drove them out of the water very fiercely. With the help of Swan Sanctuary volunteers they were relocated to the safest nearest flock. The cygnets are doing well and we visit them regularly to say hello and feed them.
The coots, moorhens and mallards sadly lost many chicks to predation from gulls. We bought a floating duck house which we hope will protect duck families this year. We hope to add more protective housing and platforms to help keep them safe.
The bird flu pandemic threatened all of our birds this year with a highly infectious strain decimating large flocks all over the country, particularly of swans and geese where they were gathered in flocks. We only had one suspected case in Broomfield Park, which we isolated in a pen during the day. Released at night time it was predated probably by a fox. We did our best to sanitise the area with natural disinfectant and provide the public with relevant healthy and safety guidelines.
As a longer-term plan we aim to improve water quality and biodiversity by working with other organizations to introduce native plants, barley bales and work with citizen scientists to accurately monitor water quality. We are now registered with the NCFE, the accrediting body for Thames 21, after completed a Leading Action for Healthy Rivers training course which will enable us to wade into the water to
catch the litter that we haven’t been able to reach from the side of the lakes so far. If you would like to join the Lakes Action Team and help us let us know!
By Jenny Edwards, Elena Phrydas, Lakes Action Team.
