The glorious unseasonally warm weather continues, and life at the pond is hotting up. In the adjacent fields the young rabbits enjoy the morning sunshine.
The moorhen is still mothering her chicks.
And really, only a mother could love them. They are such strange little things.
The goslings are thriving under a watchful parental eye.
But all is not calm. Out in the middle of the pond the mallard males are engaging in the duck equivalent of rutting.
And in the shallows, perilously close to the moorhen nests, the fish are jumping.
The pond had one further surprise today, an introduced species that is an increasingly common sight on British waterways. It's nonetheless still somewhat disconcerting to seem them in the wild. A terrapin. :ninja: 
I can't end tonight's entry without one more photo of a gosling. Too cute!
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
gdare
22 Apr 2011"And really, only a mother could love them." :awww:
:sst: if there is a school for chicks they would be bullied a lot :insane:
cakkleberrylane
23 Apr 2011Wonderful summary of a day in pictures! I've developed a real affection for the moorhen chicks!
SittingFox
23 Apr 2011Like the composition in the rabbit photo :up: and the rest are very cute, of course 😀
You might want to see if there's anyone locally who can catch that terrapin and rehome it. They eat newts and are generally bad news for wildlife.
Words
23 Apr 2011Darko, LOL! I think that may be why mum keeps them so close to the nest. The ducks and geese love to parade their babies around the pond, but these little ones are kept (literally) in the shade.
Words
23 Apr 2011Adele, thanks. That was the pick of the rabbit shots I got that morning. I'll see if I can find out who is responsible for the pond, though I would have thought the chances of locating/catching the terrapin(s?) would be pretty low given the size of the pond.
Words
23 Apr 2011Erwin, thanks!
Words
23 Apr 2011Lois, thanks. I think it may be because the little moorhen chicks always look so helpless, and have such pleading eyes… quite unlike the goslings which are already boldly independent.
Ukwildlife
7 May 2011Great photos. I wouldnt worry about the terrapin. They cant breed in this country and there is little real evidence of them causing any harm (though plenty of myths that they do!)
Words
7 May 2011Neil thanks! I'm still pondering the terrapin question. Our local council are responsible for the pond and it may be an interesting test for them (we've got the first Green-led council in the UK).
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012A Wonderful day… lovely Pict