Well that made you click on the blog and here’s the exciting news if you are a keen bird watcher and want to see something different. Check out these two news stories from around the country.

Down in deepest Worcestershire a pair of shoveler ducks has successfully raised a family on one of the local nature reserves. This is the first recorded occurance in almost seventy years, sixty-seven years to be exact, of this happening in the county. The local Widlife Trust has spent years trying to improve the habitat on the Moors Pools in Upton Warren and they are very excited to see the results.

Over the years trees have been removed to improve flight lines over the water, so encouraging more marsh-type land. A fox proof fence has been installed so that the effect of predators has been minimized.

The shoveler ducks have large spatula-shaped bills and lay their eggs on dry ground. The ducklings are led from the nest to the water as soon as they are hatched. The shovelers are dabbling ducks but unlike mallards that are often seen upended, they eat food off the surface of the water.

Meanwhile up in Scotland on the island of Mull a rescue mission was launched to save a star of the recent Springwatch programme, when an eight week old sea eagle chick fell 30ft from its nest. It was seen at the weekend but by Sunday evening the camera covering the nest showed it to be empty.

An alarm was raised by the local bird watchers and the climbers from the Forestry Commission (Scotland) later found it in the undergrowth. After a check up by experts it was pronounced healthy and hoisted back into its tree top eyrie before its parents returned.

So why not check out your local nature reserve this weekend, kitted out in the latest Helly Hansen waterproof jacket and see if you find something of note. Let us know and you could feature in a future blog.