Tuesday 30 December 2014

Parts of the Long Water and the Round Pond were covered with ice. Some birds were having difficulty: this Coot could hardly walk and kept falling over.


A Mallard drake was also having difficulty keeping his balance.


The Shovellers were revolving serenely. They don't need a very large area of water for the shovelling and filtering that supply their food.


A Great Crested Grebe was at the edge of the ice next to the bridge, diving and fishing under the ice sheet. They are well aware that fish like sheltering under things, an insufficient protection when there is a hungry bird rushing around with great speed.


The Blackbirds are noticeably hungrier when the ground is frozen, and some quite shy birds allowed me to feed them. But the cold didn't stop a Blackbird from bathing in one of the little pools below the Rima relief ...


... and when it had finished, a Great Tit bathed in the same place.


The Jackdaws at the Round Pond seemed to be finding enough to eat. Being bigger and stronger than Blackbirds, they probably have less trouble extracting worms from the hard soil.


The male Tawny Owl was dozing peacefully in his usual place in the horse chestnut tree. Several photographers had come to admire him, but he is used to that and takes no notice.

6 comments:

  1. Lovely photos of the coot and mallard skating . Orville and Dean? Sorry Ralph. Sue

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    1. Of course, whether now or 100 years ago, bird biologists have never thought the said birds were robin cousins. Arf arf! There's life in old dog yet. Jim n.L.

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  2. I like that joke. The Grebe is very fine, as always a pleasure to see a shot. :)

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  3. I like the idea of Orville and Dean, but now I can't dispel the image of them doing the Bolero.

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  4. I saw I man walking down Oxford Street today with an Eagle Owl on his hand. She was quite calm, even to the stares of people impressed (and some a bit scared I think) by her magnificence. Especially when she stretched her wings.I expect they were on their way to a gig.
    I have the usual mixed feelings about such birds (well, any birds) in captivity- but my, to get so close to such an animal! Was wondering how the Tawnies would react if they met her.

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    1. It wasn't kind to take the owl down Oxford Street. It's bad enough for humans to have to push through it.

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