Very wet visit to RSPB Titchwell Marsh, North Norfolk, on 22nd November 2025

I went on a coach trip from London to Titchwell Marsh towards the end of November.  

It was raining when we arrived and it stayed like that all day!

The first port of call was the nearest bird hide where I saw a group of Northern Shovelers swimming across the lagoon and a few Shelduck standing on a small island.  It was raining quite heavily!

After a very soggy walk to the Parrinder hide, I ate my lunch and took a few photographs

Eurasian Teal in the rain

Male Norther Shoveler in the rain

View across the lagoon from the Parrinder hide

Meadow Pipit in the rain

Almost bird-less view across the reserve - though there is a very distant Marsh Harrier on the left

and, finally, an Avocet in the rain

Unfortunately I was now very wet as my waterproof jacket had proved not to be waterproof any more, so I had to spend the rest of the afternoon in the cafe and shop while most of the others in the group went off for a wet walk on the beach and saw a lot more birds there than were actually on the reserve that day.  You win some, you lose some!  It was just one of those days!

Shoveler ducks on the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens.

On Tuesday, a dull grey damp day, I went on an expedition with my camera to the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens.  I went there in order to try and find a white Egyptian goose that was mooching around with the park's usual suspects.  I did find it and hope to post some photographs at a later date - I took so many that it will take me ages in order to sort them out.

After photographing the geese on the grass, I walked to the pond itself where I found a pair of Northern Shoveler ducks.  These are waterbirds with large spatulate bills, which they use in order to shovel up food found in the water.

The male has a dark green head, white breast and chestnut flanks - just like this drake that conveniently swam over to the edge of the pond where I was standing.

Female Shovelers are mottled brown.  A sleepy female was floating in the water not far away from the drake and hiding her huge bill in her feathers.

The male Shoveler swam over to the edge of the pond and stood there having a lovely scratch with his wonderful orange webbed foot. 

The female Shoveler decided to join him and swiftly swam across the pond.

 The pair stood together at the edge of the pond for a while, in front of a preening Mute Swan and a swimming Black-headed gull.

After a short while they both swam off to the centre of the pond.

Mandarin, Gadwall and hybrid ducks and Spring blossom on an April walk in Battersea Park

In early April I went for another long walk with my camera round the lake in London's Battersea Park.  The Spring blossom was looking very pretty.  Here is a bush covered with white blossom.  I don't know what it is so, if anyone recognises it, can they please let me know.

The hybrid mallard drake that I saw during my previous walk in the park in mid-March was still there.  Here he is swimming in the lake with a couple of coots.

The pink cherry blossom was looking spectacular on this large tree that was growing near the path that meanders round the lake.

A Gadwall couple were dipping their beaks in the water and gathering up whatever Gadwalls can find in there.

I had to photograph them through bare stalks as that was where the ducks were inconveniently located near the edge of the lake.

I have to say that April was a very pretty time of the year in which to visit the park.  This is the central part of the lake and it is surrounded by trees.

On the other side of this part of the lake, in the distance, I could see some ducks sheltering underneath a large tree.  When I cropped the photo, I realised that they were Northern Shovellers - male on the left and female flapping her wings on the right.

A little further on, a Canada goose was chasing another Canada goose.  I don't know if they were a couple or just one being very unfriendly towards the other.  A little later they seemed to be travelling together in a much friendlier manner - so maybe they were a couple?

On the last leg of my walk, to my great joy, I saw a pair of Mandarin ducks.  This is the very colourful drake, his fancy feathers shimmering in the late afternoon sunshine.

This is the very beautiful and sweet-looking female Mandarin duck.

The couple were swimming quite close to the edge of the water, so I managed to get quite a few fairly close-up photographs for a change.  However, I had to stand/crouch quite still as, if I moved, they tended to swim away from me.  They make a very handsome couple.

I think this is a very sweet picture of Mr and Mrs Mandarin.

It was a very nice walk.  I loved seeing all the pretty Spring blossoms in the park mixed with some great wildlife.  My camera is very good at persuading me to go walking these days!

Water birds and reeds at Rainham Marshes nature reserve

On 21st March I made another visit to Rainham Marshes nature reserve.  Unfortunately, the weather was not as good as was forecast - being overcast and rather windy - but I did manage to see some wildlife there.  Most of the birds were too far away for any decent photographs, but at least I have got some memories from the pictures I did take.

Here a lapwing is flying near the ground and probably coming in to land.

In this photograph there are two lapwings far away in the sky.  This is the nearest I got to capturing them high up.  They were flying so fast and wheeling around all over the place.

 There were large areas of reeds, blowing in the wind.

There was a sign of Spring with fluffy buds on this shrub. 

From one of the hides a group of male and female wigeon could be seen in the distance.

In this photograph there is an Eurasian teal standing at the edge of the water.  His turquoise markings stood out in the low light.  This photo was also taken from inside the hide.

There was also a lapwing at the water's edge.

Here a Eurasian teal is swimming along in the lagoon.

This is photograph of a wigeon swimming in the lagoon.

This is a female northern shoveler duck.

And, finally, a little grebe.

Birds seen during a January walk in Battersea Park

My camera took me for a lovely walk round the lake in London's Battersea Park last Friday.  I have already written posts with photographs of the birds on the ice and the resident mute swan family.  Now I am showing photographs of the other birds that I encountered on my walk.

As part of the lake was frozen, I was lucky enough to first see a Great Crested Grebe that was swimming nearer to the path than normal.  They usually seem to be in the middle of the lake and much too far away for decent photographs with my tiny camera.  This one was quite obliging, but did not stay near me for long.

There were quite a lot of Tufted ducks on the lake.  Below is a male

and a female.

There were also several Gadwalls.  This is the female

and this is the male.

 I also came across a Cormorant, but it kept diving and then swam away from me before I could get a decent photograph of it.

This time, on the lake, there were at least six pairs of Northern Shovelers.  Here the female is shoveling in a bubbling section of the lake while the male goes for a swim.

The female is still shoveling and the male has swum back to the bubbling water to join her.

Later the female went for a swim and came quite near to the railings at the edge of the lake.

Away from the water, I came across a large Wood Pigeon looking for food in a flower bed.

There were also several Magpies.  I find these always fly away from me when I try to get near to them, even though I think I am creeping very quietly towards them.  This one landed on the railings and I managed to get a photo before it realised I was there and flew off!

I love walking round the park and, so far, have always come across some interesting wildlife.  It is great to be able to get close to nature in London.