Birding walk round Barnes Wetlands - waterfowl collection and wild birds - 4th February 2025

Cape Barren goose near the entrance to the Birds of the World side of the London Wetland Centre

Golden Eye drakes having a splashing time

Resting American Wood Ducks at the edge of the water - two drakes and two females

Group of White-faced Whistling ducks in vegetation

White Stork standing between the reeds

Two White Storks in temporary accommodation

Male White-faced duck

Five male Red-crested Pochards and one female

Female White-faced duck

Moorhen with a yellow bill instead of the usual red

Orinoco goose

Chiloe geese

Moorhen with normal coloured bill

Yellow-billed duck

Male and female Smew

I entered the Wildside area of the Wetlands and saw two Cormorants from the bird hide

Pond in the Wildside area

Catkins - lovely sign that Spring is on the way

Reedbed and distant houses

Back in the Birds of the World area I discovered that there were three White Storks

Male Hooded Merganser showing off in front of three male Ferruginous ducks

View from the Headley hide of a reedbed and two Mute Swans in the wild area

Male Northern Shoveler

Female Northern Shoveler

Two Great Crested Grebes

View across the lake towards the Peacock hide

Later on I visited the South side of the wetlands where I saw a Greenfinch amongst dark branches

and a Goldfinch

and a very tame Robin

There were lots of Northern Shovelers on the lake - viewed from the Peacock hide

and a few Eurasian Teal

View of the lake from the Peacock hide

Close view of the Peacock hide

Green Rose-ringed Parakeet, Great Tit and Blue Tit on a bird feeder

Two Parakeets and a Great Tit on the feeder with a Blue Tit watching from the twigs!

Water Rail on the ground inside a cage round a set of bird feeders

I have always wanted to get close to a Water Rail - shame it was inside the cage!

 

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.