And so back to rattlechain lagoon. It has predictably been very quiet now for some time, but the watch goes on there every day. Birds observed in far less numbers than ever before after nearly a year after the main water “improvement” works were drawing to a close. Not much to show that anything had ever taken place there with the growth of vegetation, except the removal of the waste pipe and pontoons, which was always part of the fallacy that it had somehow been “cleaned up”. I had to do a double take at The Sandwell show recently when a familiar structure appeared like a cream Tardis on the showground.
Now where have I seen that before?
Oh I remember now.
The hosepipe that has been connected to the new pier has now been turned off.
There is still no explanation for this bizarre spectacle, though it is apparent that the water levels in both lagoons have dropped substantially. There is probably less water in the main lagoon than has ever been in there since waste tipping started. It is evident to see from the way in which birds walk on the sandy deposits that the North side embankment blends into the lake where once reed beds stood.
A couple of swans dropped in over the last week, but didn’t stay very long. This appears typical of most birds at the site, which is odd given the lack of disturbance there.
Some of surviving geese that Sandwell council didn’t kill also turn up, but mainly the seagulls are the sole occupiers now.
The relayed causeway path, now wider than in the latter waste tipping days, when it frequently breached, is now more like it was in the mid 1960’s. It is also starting to green up as before.
All very nice to the eye, as before, so no-one knows about what is covered up there and what lies beneath.