Ducks and geese on the river Yare - and Santa! - in Thorpe St Andrews on 23rd December 2025

 The river Yare in Thorpe St Andrews on a rather overcast pre-Christmas afternoon

Plenty of Black-headed gulls, a Greylag goose and a selection of Mallards

Female Mallard following three different types of Mallard drake

Two of the feather variations in the Mallard drakes

Large Cayuga duck

Egyptian goose

A few females with Mallard drakes in normal and different feather combinations

Male Gadwall with a female Mallard

I was watching the male Gadwall when it suddenly flew up from the river

Handsome Gadwall drake

Melanistic Mallard drake

Mallard in the usual colouring at the top and one with different feather suit at the bottom

I was hoping that this was a white Dove, but think it might be a white Pigeon - not sure?

The Cayuga duck is almost as large as the Greylag and Egyptian geese

The Cayuga towered above the Mallards when it was standing up

Cygnet at the edge of the river

One boat was decorated with coloured lights - better seen in the dark!

Light-coloured female with a Mallard drake

Pair of Egyptian geese ready for a ride along the river

Mallard hybrid having a word with a pal

Selection of Mallards on the grass

A skein of geese flew overhead

Later in the week I discovered a very large Santa had visited one of the nearby houses!!!!!

Wildlife walk round Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens - 14th February 2025

Grey Squirrel hiding in Snowdrops

Great Tit on a branch by the Dell

Coat Tit at the Dell

Green Rose-ringed Parakeet inspecting a tree hole at the Dell

Coal Tit perching on a twisted branch

Aeroplane high in the sky above the top of a Larch in the Dell

Lesser Black-backed gull on the Serpentine

Black-headed gull hoping to get a snack while I was sitting on a bench eating my lunch

Gadwall drake in the wind

Female Gadwall

Young Magpie by the Leaf Yard

Close view of a Robin

Song Thrush in Kensington Gardens

and a Wren

Song Thrush in a patch of sunlight

Magpies eating seeds that had been placed on top of the tree trunk

Great Tit on a branch with lots of buds

Aggressive Mute Swan on the Serpentine

Grey Herons on nests that contain chicks

 

Birds on cold day towards the end of January 2024 - partly frozen pond and lake in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park

On a cold day in late January I went for a bird spotting walk round Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park when part of the lake was frozen over.  

I began my walk at the Round Pond, where a juvenile cygnet was having a hard time walking on the ice

A Black Swan in the water was watching a Mute Swan standing on the edge of the ice

The Black Swan then relaxed with a drink

A Robin perched on a fence near Kensington Palace

Another Robin perched on an evergreen shrub

There were lots of red berries, but no birds eating them

A rat was searching for food in the Flower Walk

Great Tit perching on a branch near the Speke Obelisk

A third Robin was perching on a branch near the Southern Flower Walk

I decided not to go swimming!

Grey Heron and gull standing on the icy Serpentine

Gull making a loud noise about its prize piece of crusty bread

Great Crested Grebe swimming in a small part of the lake that wasn't frozen

I was taking a photo of some beautiful roses that had been thrown into the Serpentine when the Great Crested Grebe popped up behind them

Male Tufted duck showing off its tuft

Female Tufted duck giving me a stare

Some of several Common Pochards on the Serpentine

Dark-coloured Mallard drake with some males in the usual colouring

Clove view of the dark-coloured Mallard drake

Grey Heron staring from a perch on the small island in the Serpentine

Another Grey Heron standing on a post near the little island

Mute Swan with its legs stuck to the ice on the Serpentine

A man had thrown 2 buckets of water onto the ice, which then started to melt around the swan

The swan flapped its wings and managed to drag itself onto the ice

The Mute Swan had a very slippery walk along the frozen lake

Who are you looking at?  This walking on ice is easy!

The swan managed to reach the open water at the edge of the ice

and swam away!