Swans large and small, big sticks and tiny Pike

The Mute Swan family was out and about this morning allowing me to get a group shot. Later they returned to the nest and were being brooded in the dry.
In the morning Wessex Water started the first phase of work on a trial of different methods to control blue-green algae. As part of this some sampling of aquatic beasties was being done, the chosen site was Ellingham Pound, seemingly rather unpromising with little visible vegetation, but there was a lots of life. As well as hundreds of damselfly larvae a couple there was also a Water Stick Insect, an insect which at about 6cm was a good bit longer than a tiny Pike also caught.

Below one of the two "pikelets" netted in Ellingham Pound.

I saw my first Common Blue Damselfly of the year today, a newly emerged male. Birds were few and pretty much as expected, 2 or perhaps 3 Common Sandpiper on Ibsley Water and also a Dunlin, or at least I think it was, I just caught the tail end of it going round the long spit to the east of Tern hide. There are still 5 Wigeon and today also a drake Shoveler also on Ibsley Water and whilst on ducks the "Mallard up a tree" is still sitting, it seems like she has been up there for an age, surely they will hatch soon.

Rain tomorrow, sounds bad but perhaps a change in the weather will bring in some different birds, we will see.