A few favourite birds

 A small selection of some of my favourite birds

Female Stonechat

Great Crested Grebe family 

 

Male Pied Wagtail

Mandarin drake

Little Egret

Avocet

Black-tailed Godwit wading in the lagoon on Two Tree Island, Leigh-on-Sea

On Monday my camera and I went on a birding visit to Two Tree Island, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.  We had a great time and saw many wading birds as it was low tide, but most of them were a long way off in the distance.

After spending some time watching the birds in the lagoon, this obliging Black-tailed Godwit came quite close to where I was perched behind some shrubbery.

As it waded towards me, it's feathers were blowing in the wind on one side.

It spent some time with it's beak down in the water.  Here it has managed to catch a tasty morsel, which is balanced in it's beak.

Searching for snacks in the lagoon

Wading through the water

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Godwit as it searched for lunch!

Black-necked Grebe at Walthamstow Wetlands

 At the beginning of October my camera took me to Walthamstow Wetlands in the hope of seeing the Black-necked Grebe that had recently been spotted on one of the reservoirs.  We were unlucky during a previous visit a couple of weeks earlier, but this time we struck the jackpot!

The Grebe was on a fishing trip and I ended up following it along almost the whole length of the reservoir and managed to take several photographs when it was above water.  Fortunately, it was within reasonable distance for the range of my camera's zoom lens.

Eventually it turned tail and swam off to the other side of the reservoir - and out of my view!

Avocets at Two Tree Island, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

Yesterday I went for a group walk along the estuary from Benfleet to Leigh-on-Sea.  My camera and I stopped off briefly at Two Tree Island where we encountered a group of Avocets in the lagoon.

Here a few of the Avocets are standing in the shallow water, while a large group of Redshanks are roosting at the edge one of the small islands that are scattered across the area.

A large aeroplane went overhead while I was watching the Avocets, frightening the birds.

After flying above the lagoon for a few minutes, the Avocets landed back in the water.  The Redshanks did not move!

Two small creatures at Two Tree Island nature reserve, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

On Tuesday this week my camera and I decided to go on a trip to Two Tree Island nature reserve, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.  

It was a hot and sunny day and, as I walked through the woodland, I came across this beautiful Peacock butterfly sunning it's wings on the path.

Further round the island, on a footpath overlooking the estuary, I came across this not-so-beautiful creature - a large green caterpillar - that was making its way to the other side of the path.  It was very large - I would say over 3" long!  Later I discovered that it was a Privet Hawk-Moth Caterpillar.

Wildlife in St. James's Park, London

On Monday my camera and I went for a very pleasant walk in London's St. James's Park where I was looking out for wildlife.

A Wood Pigeon was busy eating purple berries in a shrub by the lake until it was disturbed by noisy tourists.  I believe that the plant is Callicarpa. 

One of the younger Great White Pelicans was showing off its almost complete set of wings to two of the older Pelicans.  They were standing on Pelican Rock at the far end of the lake.

Nearby, a young Grey Heron began to unfold a wing.

A female Smew was relaxing on the lake.

Another Smew flapped its wings in front of a friend.

I managed to find and photograph a small Blue Tit amongst some diseased leaves on a tree behind one of the flowerbeds.

Easier to see was this giant Grey Squirrel in a nearby tree!

A Great Tit was also flying around in this area and landed on a branch just long enough for me to find it and photograph it. 

One of the park's older Great White Pelicans, Gargi, can actually fly.  On Monday, she flew around the lake on three occasions while I was walking around the park.  I missed her during her first two flights and only just caught her during her third!!

No visit to the lake recently has been without a sighting of some sort of Grebe.  On Monday it was again the turn of a beautiful Great Crested Grebe.

Five Black Swans in St. James's Park

Today my camera took me for another walk round the lake in St. James's Park where I saw all five of the park's Black Swans.

Black Swan 1 was standing at the edge of the lake with its back to me when it stretched out its one-and-a-half wings and a large webbed foot.

Black Swan 2 was standing on one leg and had some lovely ruffled rear feathers.  It actually lives with a pair of Mute Swans that now have two very large juvenile cygnets.  Often the family of five can be seen swimming together on the lake.  This is very strange as the male Mute Swan is very dominant and chases off any other swan that comes anywhere near him and often flies across the lake to do the same to any other swans that are nowhere near him.  So I don't quite understand his tolerance for this obvious interloper!

Black Swan 3 is a young swan that was born last year and has a long thin neck, so I would recognise it anywhere.  I photographed it when it was a tiny cygnet, watched it grow up against all odds and have often gone to the park just to check on it.  It has been chased off by its parents and by the dominant Mute Swan.  At one time I saw it being chased by Black Swan 1, which tried to fly after it using its one-and-a-half wings, eventually caught up with it and bit its backside!  Today it was having a peaceful time.

Black Swans 4 and 5 are the parents of Black Swan 3.  They had seven cygnets earlier in the year, which were having a hard time as the dominant Mute Swan kept chasing the family and nearly drowned the tiny cygnets in the process.  I gather that four of them eventually were rescued and taken to a Swan Sanctuary.  Anyway, since then, the pair have attempted nesting four times and the female has laid several eggs - but to no avail.  They are obviously very fond of one another and I hope there will be some more baby Black Swan cygnets next year.

Three beautiful Little Egrets at Walthamstow Wetlands

 Yesterday afternoon my camera and I visited Walthamstow Wetlands.  I firstly walked round the main area of reservoirs near the Engine House visitor centre.  It was a dull overcast day and there was not really that much wildlife around apart from a few ducks and some impossible to photograph fast flying Swallows or House Martins.

I then went across the road to the other section of reservoirs and was happy to see three lovely white Little Egrets standing in an area that was fairly close to the path.  This was the nearest that I have ever managed to get to an Egret, let alone three of them!

One Little Egret was standing on a wall - I just love it's big yellow feet!

Another Little Egret was standing in the water

The third Little Egret was standing on a pipe

Actually, seeing these three Little Egrets just made my day!

A pair of Great Crested Grebes with a young chick in St. James's Park during early June 2020

At the beginning of June my camera and I went for a morning walk in St. James's Park, London, where I was lucky enough to see a pair of Great Crested Grebes, one of which was carrying a young chick on it's back.

The other parent had collected a small white feather, which it offered to it's partner.  Apparently feathers are fed to chicks to help protect them from the effects of fish bones.

A little later the chick dismounted and had a soak in the lake.

Mute Swan with four baby cygnets - St. James's Park

Since lockdown began in March and I been visiting my local parks for exercise, taking my camera along for company and in order to photograph the wildlife I have encountered.  In that time I have taken many photographs, but have not got round to putting them on my blog.

Tonight I decided I would do something about it - but it would be only one photograph.

This lovely female Mute Swan was with her four baby cygnets and was looking after them with the help of her mate, who was constantly nearby.  He was just not in my vision at this particular time.

The photograph was taken during my walk round the lake in St. James's Park, London, on Sunday, 28th June 2020.

Pre Corona virus lockdown visit to Hall Place, Bexley, in early March

In early March, before the Corona Virus lockdown began in the UK, I went out every day with my camera for a week in order to photograph birds in parks while I was still able to travel by public transport.  On one of those days, I took a journey to Hall Place in Bexley, which I suspected would be my last visit for some time - and, unfortunately, it will be.

I was lucky during my time there as hardly any people were around and I had the bird hide to myself for most of my visit.  Also, quite a lot of birds were flittering about.

Viewed from the small bird hide and perching in the trees near the river Cray:

Robin with a few ruffled feathers

Beautiful female Chaffinch

Two Dunnocks playing tag

 Great Tit with seed between it's claws - taken from the nearby bird feeder

To my utmost joy, a Nuthatch graced me with it's presence

A Grey Wagtail was searching for insects in the shallow water of the small river that runs through the site

During a walk through the gardens, I saw a juvenile cygnet on the river

A Blue Tit flew onto the branch of a conifer

A Blackbird was searching for worms amongst the fallen twigs from previous strong winds

Back at the bird hide, a Collared Dove showed me some pretty feathers

and a naughty Rose-ringed Parakeet stared at me from a hole that was made last year in the tree by a pair of Green Woodpeckers

It is a very unsettling time and I am sad that I am unable to visit again during the warmer weather - but at least I have photographic memories to look at and cheer me up during the days spent at home during this horrific world-wide crisis.