Hi,
I suspect this is a problem with specimen anglers using heavy gauge nylon line.
Brenda and I are Carp fishers of 20 years, so whenever we become a concern with the local birdlife we back- lead the lines, pinning them down to the lake bed. Perhaps the owner of the lake could make this a prerequisite for lines over 3 lb breaking strain. Un fortunately breaks happen now and again, usually due to poor knots, ergo lack of experience!!. The use of safety clips etc., will reduce the likelyhood of birds getting caught up in any loose line.
Hope this helps,
Brenda and Paul Owen.

it's not only discarded line, but line attached to rods which catches on the rings as the swans swim through the line, in the vast majority of cases this results in a broken line and a swan entangled in what has now become "discarded" line.

not a situation that any decent angler will want to encounter but one which nevertheless happens, though not with unringed birds and even so extremely infrequently with ringed ones. i have seen it happen 4 times in 35 years as an angler.
the more freequent ocurrence is that a bird will find an anglers bait more before the fish do and eat it, this has happened to me personaly about 6 times(not all swan). fortunately in all but one case i managed to land the bird and retrieve the hook, on one occasion only by my angling partner wading chest deep into a lake, the swan demonstrated it's appreciation of being saved from being tethered by turning round and biting him on the nose.

so i can understand the desire to consider the safety of the birds over the desire to put rings on them..

Last time they bred there (which is over 10 yrs ago I think) I seem to remember lead poisoning was a problem, as well as line.

But you have to add on the number of eggs x 2, John (as they only lay every other day) so you could add 12 days for 6 eggs. Incubation won't begin till the last egg as they hatch synchronously (or more or less)

went to roman lakes today not expecting too much from the reports on here.

by the time i'd got the camera out the boot we'd seen 3 buzards.
2sparrowhawks and a peregrine in a full stoop dive.

gc greebes with2 well grown young
plenty of coot
canadas with goslings at least 10 young some well grown on.
2 tree creepers plus one later sighting but may have been one of the previous 2.
and a diper on the river.

Main Lake

Coot broods of 6, 4 and 3
Great-crested Grebe (pair - male carrying 1 chick on its back)
Mute Swan still sitting

Cheers, John

Bottom's Res:

Chiffchaff 3
Swallow 5
Willow Warbler 2
Bullfinch 2
Buzzard 1
Lesser Whitethroat (v vocal) 1

Main Lake:

Coot with 5 recently fledged young
Swan sitting

North Lake:

Nothing (well, 2 Mallard)

Cheers, John

I buzzard over Windybottom Farm,
Kingfisher flying upstream under the Roman Bridge - seems to favour this area,
Dipper downstream behind the horse paddocks towards Bottom's bridge
& a Grey Wagtail - my first of the year, certainly been a bogey bird for me so far this year, but it brings up 110 species for the year so far.

Judith Smith wrote:

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John - would that inaccessible area nr Richmond Farm be Windybottom Wood?

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Judith,

I've sent you a PM.

North Lake area: Grey Heron 1, Great-crested Grebe 1, Canada Goose 2, goldcrest 2, Pied Wagtail 2.

Main Lake: Canada Goose 15, Coot 21, Tufted Duck 2, Mute Swan 2, GC Grebe 2, Cormorant 1.

River Goyt: Grey Wagtail 1, Dipper 1, Goosander 2.

I an inaccessible valley behind Richmond Farm 2 Green Woodpeckers called frequently. It took 2 hours before I narrowed one down to an isolated tree but even then only a brief sighting as it exited out the back. Never-the-less, a sighting!

Also Treecreeper 2, Meadow pipits 5 over, Sparrowhawk 1 female, Buzzard.

Oh yes, and a Comma butterfly which I'll post on the Manchester Wildlife Forum.

Cheers, John

Lakes mostly iced over.

A Kingfisher on the Goyt was a welcome sight - first here since the cold spell. Also an unringed Dipper.

Cheers, john

Mid morning walk through to Strines.

Plenty of Longtailed Tits,
2 Goldcrest, 1 just past the entrance to the Lakes & 1 at the Strines packhorse bridge.
Dipper on the stones beneath the railway bridge
Kingfisher at the packhorse bridge, first one i've seen on this stretch of water for a while.

Main Lake.
Only a very small patch of ice free water which held 1 Mute Swan, 6 Mallard, 5 Coot, 1 Moorhen.

River Goyt
1 Grey Heron and 1 Cormorant.

Very few passerines around - desperate stuff

6th Nov 11.00 - 12.00. Very quiet.

Main Lake + surrounding strips of water:

Coot 48
Moorhen 17
Mallard 57
Canada Goose 1
Cormorant 1
Grey Heron 1
Sparrowhawk (1 f)
Mute Swan 2
Great-crested Grebe 1
Little Grebe 3
Nuthatch 2

North Lake: Moorhen 1

Cheers, John

Walk at lunchtime from the Roman Lakes to Windy Bottom Farm & back produced amongst others,

1 Great Crested Grebe
4 Goldcrest
1 Dipper under the railway bridge/weir
3 Female Goosander on the river bend close to railway tunnel/Windy Bottom farm