Monday, March 23, 2015
A rather slimy woodland pool in a clearfell area caught my attention on this bright but very cold afternoon. These pond skaters skittered across the surface and then climbed up onto a dead tree.
Then I realised that at the end of the pool was a mass of frogspawn. A nearby ditch also held frogspawn.
A water boatman beneath the surface seemed to be feeding on whatever green matter was coating some of the jelly. (Later: Not sure about this. There are two kinds of water boatman apparently - lesser, which swims normally, and greater, which swims on its back ("backswimmer"). The former is herbivorous and the latter carnivorous, preying on e.g. other invertebrates and tadpoles. I think this one is a lesser.)
The flock of whooper swans was still around. There were four goldeneye (three drakes and a duck) and a nice male tuftie. A black-throated diver was again on another loch.
// posted by Christine @ 3:40 PM 
