Kingfisher seen by visitors. Blooms on Butterfly Meadow will hold for open day -- good. Slight Showers have brought frogs out. MINK on bog pond, and to judge by the agonised squeaks may well have caught our last water vole in the reeds there. Can only hope it was a rat, but they don't usually frequent heavy growth of reed etc. Caused Moorhen to fly up into a tree, where it stuck, petrified, and all the ducks (only about a dozen from our usual hordes) scrunched up by the flat Spit end, where they can see predators.
Many of the ducks have returned. How did they know the mink was gone? Mink trap set up on Sunday on Osier where mink looked to have a run. Was sprung by daytime on Tuesday. Richard heroically volunteered to don chest waders and retrieve trap and mink, which first tried shrieking, then smelling him to death! Mink was either female or subadult and sinuously beautiful. She was only doing her job -- what a pity she and her kind should have to die because of man's greed and stupidity. Keith Seaman came and took her away to be put down humanely, and he didn't charge us, either, bless him. (AND he's left us his other trap to use until we get our own.)
Two Emperor dragonflies, one at top, the other by Blockhouse, patrolling about the Mere. Susan's bees very agitated, hurtling around the hive. Swans and their now full grown babies paid the site a visit last week and Muntjac also reported. Mouse caught by cat brought to l6A Thursday, AOK Friday. Had good look, was a Wood mouse. Blooms still out, especially on Butterfly Meadow, and Spindles all neon pink. Lots of fallen apples in Orchard, lovely Autumnal cidery smell there.