Redshank at Barnes Wetland Centre

In June I took my camera for a walk in Barnes Wetland Centre.  It was a sunny day and I had a great time there.

When I visited the Peacock bird hide, from which there is a view over the large lagoon, there was a group of birdwatchers gathered together at one side of the hide with their scopes and cameras with very long lenses trained on one area.  The excitement was that there was a lone Redshank on the site!  They very kindly pointed it out to me - letting me look down the scope and one even took a photo of the landscape on his mobile phone so that I could locate the area for myself.

I was not surprised that I had a hard time finding the lonely Redshank as it was almost hidden in the shrubbery!

The Redshank was some way in the distance, the photographs were taken using a long lens and then have been quite heavily cropped.

The birders sat and watched the one and only Redshank for some time and it just kept sitting there behind the shrubbery.  Eventually they gave up and went over to the other side of the hide and started watching something else.  I thought I would take one last look at the bird before I left and it had actually stood up, was preening it's feathers and gave me a view of it's red legs.

Then it very kindly put it's head up so I could take this photo.

The Redshank then walked off across the lagoon until it was even further away from the hide and posed gracefully between some plants that were growing in the water.  There was a Lapwing on the land in the background.  Both birds are reflected in the water.

I had gone to Barnes hoping to see a Redshank, but did not realise that there would only be one visiting the site that day.  I was incredibly lucky to have seen it and have to thank the lovely birdwatchers in the hide for pointing it out to me.

Moorhen chick walks the plank

Last week I visited the Barnes Wetland Centre and, for a change, it stayed hot and sunny all day.  I came across a Moorhen family - a parent and a chick were preening whilst standing on a piece of wood while the other chick was hiding behind them in the reeds.

Preening Moorhen parent and 2 chicks

The parent Moorhen was still in preening mode and a chick was now walking the plank - just look at it's super huge feet!

Moorhen preening and chick walking the plank

The parent and a chick were still standing on the branch.  The other chick had taken the plunge and was happily swimming around in the lagoon.

Moorhen and chick on piece of wood while other little chick goes swimming

Swan nesting near the new Woodberry Wetland Centre

There is a brand new wetland centre in North London - Woodberry Wetlands - at Manor House and it was opened last week by Sir David Attenborough.

The wetland consists of a reservoir that has been attractively styled with walkways, reed beds and a new cafe.  The main entrance is at one end and there is a path along one side of the reservoir.  There is another entrance/exit at the end of the path and this leads to a narrow waterway with another path that will take you back to the main entrance.  On the other side of this narrow waterway are swanky new apartment blocks.

There is a second reservoir on the other side of the road to the wetlands main entrance, but this is not part of the nature reserve, and is used for sailing.  The narrow waterway also runs along the side of this reservoir.

Just a stone's throw from the posh new nature reserve, under the bridge across the road that separates the two reservoirs and on the narrow waterway, I found a beautiful swan on a large nest that was partly made up of rubbish.

Swan on nest under the road bridge dividing the 2 reservoirs at Woodberry Down

 When I downloaded my photographs onto the computer, I was shocked to see just how much rubbish was also in the water in front of the nest.  A coot is swimming along by an old tyre, some metal object and a glass bottle.  Near the swan's reflection there is a ball, plus other junk - and just look at all the bags, cartons and tins in that are part of or near to the nest.

Swan on nest of rubbish with Coot swimming amongst other rubbish

The coot is obviously building a nest as it has a stick in it's beak - what a place to bring up youngsters and all provided by careless human beings!

Swan nest and Coot amongst the junk

Mute Swan on large nest

No wonder the swan looks fed up!

Mute Swan on top of large nest with added junk and rubbish

We should be ashamed of ourselves!  Why can't we dispose of our unwanted things in the proper places - rubbish bins - instead of throwing them into the river?

And this is right next door to a new nature reserve that was opened by a major environmentalist - Sir David Attenborough.

Preening, dancing and flapping White-Faced Whistling Ducks

I love visiting the Barnes Wetland Centre and, even though they are captive, it is great to watch their collection of exotic birds.  It also gives children the chance to see species that they would normally never normally come across.

I love the White-Faced Whistling ducks, who put on a great show when preening their feathers.

3 preening White-Faced Whistling ducks

Dancing White-faced Whistling duck.

Dancing White-Faced Whistling duck

Flapping White-Faced Whistling duck.

Flapping White-Face Whistling duck

Heron nesting amongst the reeds – a nature lesson for me

Distant heron standing in the reed bed

Last year I was watching a distant heron in the reeds on the other side of a lagoon in the wild part of Barnes Wetland Centre.

Heron and Coot on nests, with water-skiing Mallard

I knew that a nearby coot was on a nest but, only when I downloaded my photographs onto the computer, did I realise that the heron was standing on it’s own nest.   I was really surprised to discover this as I thought that herons only nested at the top of trees.  While I was watching, a mallard was having a water-skiing session along the water in front of it.

Heron standing on nest in the reeds

Heron on nest in the reeds

Heron tending to it's nest in the reed bed

Heron on water-based nest, plus reflection 

That day I learnt that herons do, sometimes, nest on the ground or, in this case, it looks as though it is nesting in the water!