Wildlife and beautiful Autumn scenery in Battersea Park on 28th October 2025

I began my walk in the Herb Garden where I came across some strange dangling flowers

The gardener was taking a well-earned rest!

I then went across to the Old English Garden where a lovely red rose was still flowering

This waterlily bud looked very "alien"

There were some beautiful Autumn leaves near the edge of the lake

Pair of Gadwall on the lake

I loved these Larch seeds and feathery leaves

Lots of red berries near the path round the lake

There is only one pair of Mute Swans that live in the park and I found them at the edge of the lake

Male Northern Shoveler cruising across the lake

Dark red berries on this shrub with leaves overhanging the lake

Lovely Autumn views across the lake

Male Tufted duck on a bad hair day!

Juvenile and adult Moorhens - the juvenile was stretching its wing and seems to be larger than the adult!

Grey Heron enjoying a coffee on a table outside the cafe

Time for the Grey Heron to move on

There were barriers all round the interior of the park in readiness for this weekend's fireworks disply

and, finally, I came across a Rose-ringed Parakeet feasting on Yew berries

 

Tufted ducks in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

 

During the week before Christmas I went for a long walk round the lake in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.  It seemed to be a day for Tufted ducks.

The first one I saw was on the Serpentine in Hyde Park - and I think he looks very handsome.

He spent a lot of time diving for food.  Unusually for me, instead of getting a photo of just disturbed water, I actually got a photo of his backside.  I like the fan-tail feathers in the photograph below.

At the other end of the park, in Kensington Gardens, there were several Tufted ducks on one of the ponds in the Italian Garden.  Here is a photograph of a drake.

Here is photograph of two drakes.

Here is a photograph of three drakes.

Now the picture is back down to two drakes.  I love the reflections in the water - almost as though it is on fire!

In this photograph there are three drakes again, with the one on the left-hand side splashing jets of water all over his pals!

On one of the other ponds in the Italian Garden, minding their own business and keeping well away from the boys, were a couple of female Tufted ducks.

Captive and wild birds in the Barnes Wetland Centre

I have been to the Barnes Wetland Centre (London Wetland Centre) several times over the last few years and always have an amazing and very interesting time there.  There are several large lagoons with bird hides, but often the birds on the water are much too far away and can only be clearly seen with very strong binoculars.  They are impossible to photograph unless you are wealthy enough to own a very large camera with a strong zoom lens.  Mine is only relatively tiny, so I have to resign myself to taking photographs of the reserve's captive birds.

The photographs below were taken during one of my walks round the reserve in March 2016 - I have taken so many photographs over the last couple of years and just not had time to write about them straight away.  I just don't know where my time goes, but it definitely runs away very fast!

These are some Black-Bellied Whistling ducks in preening mode.

These are Fulvous Whistling ducks in swimming mode.

These are 2 Southern Screamers in resting mode

and standing mode

The birds in the photograph below were on the wild side of the Wetland Centre and were swimming around in separate small ponds on the site.

Here is a Tufted drake

and his partner, a Tufted duck

 This is a mummy Tufted duck with 4 Tufted ducklings

 I presume this is a Mallard duckling that appears to be looking for bugs on the reeds.

Captive or wild, the birds at the Centre are amazing and I often find it hard to drag myself out of the place in order to go back home!