Wednesday 6 November 2019

A Black Swan has flown in to the Round Pond. After checking old pictures, I don't think it's the one we had here a couple of years ago. It was slightly irritated by a teeming mob of Black-Headed Gulls.


The Gadwall pair in the Italian Garden fountain looked quietly elegant in the low November sunlight. The female preened while the male dabbled.


I think this Shoveller on the Long Water is an immature male, as the other drakes are now in their full breeding plumage.


Virginia got a splendid shot of a Tufted drake balancing on a chain, an unusual place for a duck.


She has a Moorhen at the island that comes to feed from her hand.


The three Great Crested Grebe teenagers at the island are still sometimes pestering their parents for food, but mostly they are fishing for themselves.


An old favourite, the Black-Headed Gull with ring number EY09813, has returned to the usual post at the Vista -- a very late arrival this year.


The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull had just missed a Feral Pigeon and stood on the shore looking annoyed, with some of its feathers still in his beak ...


... but he soon forgot his disappointment, as he was eating another when I went by later.


Three kinds of gull on the handrail of the Lido jetty: Black-Headed, Common and Herring.


One of the Little Owls near the Albert Memorial, I think the female, returned briefly to her old nest hole, where Rudraksha saw her this morning. She was soon evicted by a squirrel. She could be seen on a branch later.


A pleasing picture by Mark Williams of a Robin looking up -- something that small birds need to do often, as who knows what predator might be flying overhead. Many species share a high-pitched 'seep' call that warns them all of this danger.


Ahmet Amerikali got a good shot of everyone's favouurite Coal Tit in the shrubbery next to the bridge.


The remarkably productive patch of wood chips in the plane tree avenue had two new kinds of mushrooms on it. I think the large one is a Stubble Rosegill, which has been seen here before.


Tom was at Rainham Marshes, where he got an excellent picture of a Firecrest, not an easy bird to find or photograph ...


... a Barn Owl flying in the evening light ...


... and a fine video of an elusive Cetti's Warbler, an extremely difficult bird to photograph, let alone film.

6 comments:

  1. Well done Tom! I was at Rainham the other and heard loads of Cetti’s, but didn’t see a single one.

    I hope the Black Swan stays in the park.

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    1. Sometimes there are 50 Cetti's at Rainham, but you're lucky if you see one for a couple of seconds flitting from bush to bush.

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  2. Good to see you again today. The Tufted Duck image has come out really well and you great to see that you got the owl later.

    I have published my todays experience with the little owl on my website, http://whistlingtrails.com/2019/11/little-owl-and-grey-squirrels/

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    1. Good to see you too. An excellent sequence of pictures on your blog.

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  3. Since I just started a fanclub for the Crow that lands on Ralph's head, anyone willing to join my Coal Tit appreciation society?

    Hope this other Black Swan stays. I miss our old friend.

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    Replies
    1. Well, I appreciate that Coal Tit. So tiny, so confident.

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