At the end of what has been a very warm half-term week for late May, the Millstream has lots of wildlife. There were lots of ducks and a couple of swans with no young, but I have concentrated on the birds with young, as well as insects and flowers to be seen along its banks and on the water.
This female mallard has a single duckling. It is still small and fluffy, with brown-and-yellow down.
This type of bird is sometimes referred to as a “manky mallard”, a disrespectful name sometimes given to domestic ducks that have hybridised with wild mallards. They frequently show varied plumage, such as the dark brown and black feathers seen on the duck.
There have been lots of Yellow Iris beside the Millstream during May. As the month comes to a close, some of the flowers are fading and beginning to form seed pods. They are found on the margins of slow-moving water, and the Millstream flows particularly slowly because of fallen trees and growing reed beds.
This juvenile Moorhen has disproportionately large feet, which help it walk on floating vegetation. Moorhens are normally quite shy, but this one clambered onto the bank near me, tweeting, with no adult moorhen in sight. I think it is the same bird I saw a few days later nibbling water weed above the weir, again without an adult in sight.
In various places along the Millstream are Yellow Water Lilies. They have yellow, cup-shaped flowers, which bloom a few inches above the water. Their large floating leaves are disc or heart-shaped.
Damselflies can be seen in great numbers among the reeds and water lilies. I slipped into the stream just after taking this picture. The water only came up to my calves, but I did lose my glasses for a couple of minutes before spotting an arm sticking through the surface.
A family of Canada Geese regularly travels up and down the Millstream.
There’s lot of Blackberry blossom near or beside the Millstream, attracting lots of bees. This honey bee is carrying pollen on its hind legs.
I also saw this butterfly on the blackberry blossom. It may be a Large Skipper, although it did not seem particularly large.
Earlier this spring, perennial plants were introduced as part of a move away from traditional seasonal bedding. The scheme, developed by the Grounds Maintenance and Climate and Biodiversity teams at VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council), replaces short-lived annual displays with longer-lived, drought-tolerant planting designed to support wildlife and improve resilience and reduce maintenance.
