A Lull in the Weather ~ a Stroll in the Park

After a stormy night, the weather cleared a little on Sunday afternoon
so we visited one of our local parks.

There were a few Mallard ducks and Moorhens on one of the main ponds.

This Cormorant had deserted the coast or waterfront in favour of easy pickings. 

There were also quite a few Black-headed gulls. 

The sunshine brought the Grey Squirrels out into the open,

foraging for their buried food supplies.

Suddenly we spotted a small flock of Redwing. 

These winter migrants breed in northern regions of Europe and Asia,

but arrive in the UK in small flocks.

Speaking of winter migrants, we had read reports of Waxwings in our area,

but we failed to find them.

This white bibbed duck (above) may be a hybrid Mallard,
although when I thought I saw one last time, 

hybrid expert Dave Appleton told me
that he felt the duck I had seen on that occasion 

was 'simply a domestic variant of Mallard,
not a hybrid between a Mallard and any other species.
Domestic Mallards come in a bewildering variety
 of sizes, shapes and plumages.' 

So many thanks to Dave,
whose 'hybrid duck' photos can be viewed here. 

The Mallard drake above was doing a spot of preening ...

... before setting sail across the pond with his mate.

There was a photographer keeping a close vigil on this corner of the pond,
and if you follow the red arrow above, you will see why.



Every so often a rat would emerge from one hole or another ...
and the one in the photo below took to the water for a swim. 

Members of the public have been asked to refrain
from feeding the ducks in this pond
because the scraps of bread and suchlike
prove particularly attractive to the rat population.

 

Postscript ...

Having checked out the photos on Dave's Domestic Mallard pages here, I'm pretty sure that the bibbed duck above is much the same as the one on his site from South Creake, Norfolk.

Beautiful Birds: A Cold Afternoon at Needham Market

A tense moment: Canada Goose meets Mute Swan

A Black-headed Gull surveys the scene.

I'm guessing the huge drake (back right) is a Mallard hybrid

You can read my previous post about hybridisation here.

Time for a spot of ...

... spring-cleaning, aka preening.

The gulls thought so, too.

The one on the left is a juvenile, with paler head, legs and beak.

A final fluff-up ...

... before joining the Mute Swan and other gulls on the water.

The Moorhen preferred to scrabble for food on the bank.

We saw a few distant Fieldfare on the way home.

Seasonal Splash: Flatford and Felixstowe, Snow and Sunshine

This post comprises a miscellany of photographs from our weekend. The welcoming sign below greets you as you enter the RSPB Wildlife Garden at Flatford.

As you can see, there was still some snow around on Saturday. There was also quite a lot of frozen water. The Moorhen below was lifting her large yellow feet very gingerly.

I really enjoyed taking the shot below, and watching the play of light on the water, parts of which were frozen over and parts of which were not. I love the reflections and the small trail of bird prints.

The copse below was looking particularly beautiful ...

I wonder whether these tree roots above are always submerged.

The Mallards were skating around a bit at the water's edge!  

The landscape above reminded me so much of my rural Norfolk childhood. This part of Suffolk is definitely more undulating, but I recall those snowy plough lines with much affection. There were several pheasants about.

Cut ... to Felixstowe, and the container port, where we hoped to see some birds in the vicinity of the Bird Observatory at Landguard Fort. It was bitterly cold on Sunday afternoon, and there were few birds to be seen.

We found a short boardwalk, which led us towards this Cormorant. It was too breezy to hold the camera still, but it seems to me that the bird has an unusually white head. The link here (you will need to click and then possibly scroll down a little) is not about Cormorants in Suffolk, but it explains about some of the white markings that can be seen on the heads of these birds.

There were one or two Herring Gulls around on the shingle, among the Pigeons.

And finally (for now), this was a photo I took at Flatford on Saturday of the Barn Owl as it coursed the field in the fading light.

We have occasionally heard owls back home, but to date, this one below is the only one we have actually seen! Its eye sockets contain small solar panels, which shed tiny beams of light on our garden after dark.

Nature Reserves: Needham Market, Suffolk

We took a chilly walk around the lake at Needham Market. It forms part of a Local Nature Reserve, and proved a good place for ducks and gulls.

The lake used to be a gravel pit, and the River Gipping flows through the site. Apparently grass snakes are seen in the warmer months, but this one above was the only serpentine creature to put in an appearance on this bitter January day. 

There were, however, welcome signs of spring, like these catkins. Hazel, Alder and Birch all produce catkins at this time of year. Alder trees produce not only male catkins but also female strobili which are like miniature pine cones in appearance.

For a moment we thought we had chanced upon an Easter Island council, but on reflection, it was possibly more like a woodland gathering of Ents!

There were a number of chilly-looking Moorhens about ...

... and moles were evidently not far away.

We were particularly pleased to see this Great Crested Grebe, as I do not recall seeing one in non-breeding winter plumage before.

The photo above shows the sunlight on the lake ...

... but I was puzzled by these small white ducks. I feel sure that they were not large enough to be Aylesbury ducks. I gather Mallard drakes are not too particular when it comes to pairing. There is a white duck called a Pekin (or domestic/farm) duck, bred originally from the Mallard in China. Perhaps these are Pekinese ducks, but they may be Call ducks. They are not albino as they have yellow bills. There are, of course, forms of leucism that can effect wildfowl.

Sadly this grebe above is a bit out of focus, but these are such graceful birds!

This trio of Black-headed Gulls (with deep pink legs) looked out on ...

... a lone gull with pale orange legs. I suspect it was also a Black-headed Gull, probably a 'first winter' bird. Do let me know if you think otherwise!