Walking on Water.

During a brief stroll around Heron Pond in Bushy Park on Monday I spent some time watching two of our aquatic species from the Ralidae family that have no difficulty 'walking on water' .... when it's frozen.

First up was the [Common] Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) purposely stalking across the ice and typically carrying its tail high which it flicks up and down as it walks. Like other rails their long toes are spread well apart to provide them with excellent stability on such a slippery surface.

The other species was the [Eurasian] Coot (Fulica atra) with its distinctive white frontal shield and the lobed flaps of skin on its toes (see close up below). When fighting one another their feet play an important role in both attack and defence and I'll share a couple of recent images in a future post.

When one individual stepped off the ice into a small area of unfrozen water it was interesting to see how it gripped the ice ledge with its sharp toenails and used its wings to provide the impetus to regain its footing back on the thin ice.  FAB.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday.

January Patch Birds.

My wildlife watching got off to a slow start this year due to a virus contracted over the Christmas period that laid me low for a couple of weeks. Local patch water fowl sightings have been thin on the ground due to the pond freezing over a week ago and everything appeared to be in hiding.

Fortunately four Northern Shoveler present on the pond since early December were still around prior to the water freezing up and one male in full breeding plumage was close enough during one patch visit to provide an opportunity for a few images.
Other sightings have included up to six Teal; with four males displaying to two females; and two pairs of Mandarin Duck plus the resident Mallard and Moorhens.

Northern Shoveler

Moorhen

At this time of year it is not unusual to see large parties of Long-tailed Tits foraging through the woodland but obtaining a clear shot as they flit from perch to to perch is another challenge! On a few occasions the flocks have included one or two Goldcrests but I have still to capture a decent image of this tiny species.

Long-tailed Tit.

One species that rarely allows a close approach is the Jay but I was fortunate recently to catch one searching through the leaf litter and totally oblivious to me creeping close enough for this cropped shot.

During this continued cold and wet weather raptor sightings have included Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk darting through a large flock of Redwing, Common Buzzard and an over flying Red Kite. 

I spotted this (juvenile or female) Kestrel perched in a tree close to one of the main paths and watched it surveying the ground below for a possible meal. After a few minutes it flew to another perch to continue its vigil before eventually flying away.

One Black-headed Gull has taken up residence on the main pond and regularly takes flight when another interloper flies in and chases off any competition!

My patch tally for January has now reached 40 species and you can view the full list on my Bird Sightings page. FAB.

Linking to Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen.

Damp Patch Birding.

The current weather pattern, windy, damp and heavily overcast skies, has not been conducive for photography during my recent patch walks. Most of the small birds have stayed in hiding so just a few images of the larger species seen on or around the pond.

Coot still collecting material to build up or repair the nest.
 

A couple of Cormorants called in for a few days and one spent some time trying to capture some warmth from the limited sunshine.

 

Earlier this month a male Northern Shoveler turned up on the Great Pond but typically kept a long way away from the lens. I subsequently spotted him with his mate who spent most of her time in hiding.

Eventually managed to capture him out of the water.

Mute Swans don't turn up on the patch very often so it was nice to see a pair drop in if only very briefly.

A single Black-headed Gull takes a rest from its aerial circuits around the pond.

Moorhen .... and it's time to dig out the wet weather gear!  Linking to I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'.

Wishing everyone a wonderful wildlife watching weekend, wherever you are.  FAB.

Barnes WWT bathed in sunshine.

Earlier this week (Tuesday) I enjoyed a few hours in the sunshine at WWT Barnes. 

Whilst the centre was alive with school children enjoying various activities including pond dipping the hides were very quiet probably because most of the birds were fairly distant. 

After half an hour in the hide overlooking the waterlogged scrape the only close visitors were a pair of Canada Geese who settled for a few minutes before taking flight.

and a couple of male Tufties.

The view from the Peacock Tower over the grazing marsh was somewhat similar so I headed towards 'Wildside' on the other side of the reserve.

Coot with some damaged feathers strutting across the grass.

Moorhen enjoying a cool drink.

I stopped for a while to capture some of the 'collection' species including Red-crested Pochard, a male White-headed Duck and the Goldeneye with a red head Smew in tow. As I wandered the pathways the striking call of a Cetti's Warbler pierced the air and Goldfinches twittered above my head.

Once again there was very little activity from the furthest hide apart from a couple of Dabchicks (Little Grebe). On my return route there was a small collection of people staring across one of the water channels at the distant reedbed. A search through the bins (I'd decided to leave the scope at home!) and I eventually located the distinctive brown camouflaged outline of a BITTERN well hidden in the reeds. It maintained its station while occasionally preening for some 20 minutes but then decided to move out into the open.

Unfortunately it was really too far for the 70-300 lens and the overhead sun didn't help focussing but I managed a cropped record shot that will have to do for the time being. Within a few moments this elusive species was out of sight .... until another day perhaps.  FAB.

Around Pen Ponds.

After leaving the Isabella Plantation I headed across the open parkland towards Pen Ponds with a brief pause attempting to get a shot of a Green Woodpecker feeding .... but of course he saw me coming! 

Not long after I had reached the waters edge, checking out a likely quarry for the lens, a nearby voice said "Do you mind if I throw this in for my dog?". I turned to see a man holding a very large piece of wood and his dog waiting by his side. My response (perhaps a little brusque) was "I don't think it is appropriate" and he promptly questioned "Why?" Red rag to a bull comes to mind as I pointed to and suggested the likely distruption to the wildlife using the water but after a brief pause he just retorted that his dog had a swim here every day and it was obvious that whatever concerns I had he was going to carry on regardless!

I wasn't in the mood for an extended discussion (I just wanted some peace and quiet with the wildlife) so I moved a little further away. Fortunately when I heard the slash, way behind me, the ducks in front of me didn't react .... perhaps they are used to this daily occurrence.

 Most of the Canada Geese seemed fairly relaxed and one came close to check me over.

 This male Tufted Duck made a tentative move towards the bank.

 The male Mallards were either preening or just standing around admiring the view. 

 Moving on over to the smaller pond I sat on the bank looking down on the water, with the sun casting plenty of shadows, as the various species passed by including this Moorhen calling to its comrades.

 The usual inquisitve Coot.

A Black-headed Gull decides to lighten its load ... thank goodness I was above and not below!

Finally the disappearing Tuftie and then it's time for me to find my way home ... but I'll be back with a few more images from this visit in the coming week.   FAB.

Walk In The Park.

A recent stroll in Richmond Park on a chilling but sunlit afternoon started out quite bleak with just Jackdaws and Crows pecking through the fallen leaves under the woodland canopy and attempts to capture an image of a small mixed group of Fallow Deer feeding was thwarted by the depth of the brown undergrowth, their constant movement and interruptions by other walkers so only a rear end view!

Despite this disappointing start to my leisurely walk it actually turned out to be a series of unexpected photo calls. So here are a few images [ Click for larger views] to set the scene for some future posts.

First up were two Red Deer stags enjoying some quality time together .....

..... one sleeping with his friend on sentry duty. Without getting too close I stood and watched some interesting interaction between these two ... so watch out for a future post.

As I crossed the open parkland a Kestrel hovered overhead hoping to spot a tasty meal but moved on to search somewhere else.

When I reached the larger of the two Penn Ponds most of the water was frozen over with nearly all of the inhabitants (Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, Mandarin Ducks and Black-headed Gulls) some distance away so I was doubtful that any close photography would be possible ... but you never know!

 While waiting for some closer action on the pond I was visited by a couple of Ring-necked Parakeets.

A Coot finally decided to brave the ice and I spent quite a while watching this character and eventually coaxed it to get much closer to the lens by scattering some seed .... more pics to show in a follow up post.

Initially the view over at the smaller pond looked even bleaker ... more ice and no ducks in view BUT all that was to change.

First I was greeted by Mr. Crow giving me the once over .... "So who are you starring at?"

As I got closer to the edge of the pond I was delighted to see that there was some clear water and a few species that I needed photos of including this female Pochard who swam over towards me.

 Next I spotted a (Northern) Shoveller tentatively pacing slowly across the frozen floor to get into the water.

Not just one but a group of 7 Shoveller were paddling round and round in circles as they dredged the surface with their spatula shaped bills. I took a lot of shots of these guys .... so something to show in future.

As the activity both on the water and in the air increased a Moorhen popped out from behind me to see if I had anything to eat .... and of course I had. 

When there is any chance of a free meal you can be assured that the Black-headed Gulls will get in on the act.

When I turned around to look over the main pond once more there was just a lone Mute Swan on the ice.

With plenty of shots in the can it was time to take my leave as the late afternoon sun shone through the woodland ...... the end to an interesting and productive stroll.   FAB.