Waders are breeding

Earlier this year the main lake had some of the Persicaria and Typha removed from its margins. This opened up the muddy edges – just what wading birds need. And just like in the movie, A Field of Dreams, if you build it they will come.

The Black-fronted Dotterel arrived in September, only three months after the main works were completed. The Black-winged Stilt followed in October.

And the Black-winged Stilts seem to have decided very quickly that our lake was just right to raise a family. Two babies were seen only four weeks after the adults arrived.

The adults are very protective and sound the alarm at the first sight of danger. This allows plenty of time for the chicks to run away or assume a camouflaged posture, as in the photo above.

A second pair of adult Black-winged Stilt was seen on the lake recently. We keep our fingers crossed for another clutch of babies.