Last weekend, on my way back to Stirling, I decided to stop off at the Ayrshire/Galloway border to try and find where the local pair of Grey Wagtails were nesting this year. Luckily for me they hadn’t moved far from last year’s nest site….less than 3 metres away!
I was pleasantly surprised, upon checking the contents of the new nest, to find that the nest contained four very new, very fluffy chicks and one addled egg.
The new nest is in a much better position than last year’s, being much higher up, well camouflaged and out of reach of the hungry Otters that lurk along the river. There’s plenty of Otter spraint all along this section of the river and I’m sure they wouldn’t think twice about a protein rich snack!
The only downside to this soft, hairy cup of fluffy newborns? It was full to the brim with fleas! After a very brief check of the contents of the nest, I was left with no less than 27 extremely itchy flea bites on my shoulder. They clearly lured me in under a false pretence of cuteness!
Flea city^
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