Would be nice but, as a by-product of getting ready for the new CES season, certain jobs have to be undertaken at the site.
The latest one is the reduction of certain beasts of the trees, known to eat all the berries in autumn but preying on nesting birds, their eggs and young during the summer. As food is in short supply during spring, bait is put out and, once found, is put in and around a trap, securely pegged to the ground.
There are three or four pairs that come into "the rough" from surrounding plantations, so the target will be six or eight specimens. This amounts to six+ tails. Which brings us back to the morris; the ladies will adorn their chapeaux with said items.
When we started our long-term scientific study some twenty years ago, there were no "beasts". They arrived in the park some eight or nine years ago and have spread to all four corners since. So much for being surrounded by water. This is not a long term solution - it will have to be repeated next spring. But it does prove effective over the summer months ... and gives the warblers some respite.
