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

 

Visit to Hickling Broad nature reserve on 8th February 2025

I went on a coach trip to Hickling Broad in early February and the first bird I saw was a male Pheasant

A Muntjac was in the grass near the path round the reserve

The Lapwings must have been disturbed by a raptor, which I did not see!

Misty view of the stream

Raptor, probably a Marsh Harrier on a tree in the distance

View of a bird hide in the distance past the reed bed

Pair of distant Goldeneyes

Marsh Harrier on a post

Distant Goldeneyes

Very distant Marsh Harrier!

The only birds that were nearby were on and around the bird feeders at the Visitor Centre

Singing Robin

Female Blackbird

Male Chaffinch

Male Chaffinch and Blue Tit

House Sparrow and Blue Tit

Female Pheasant

Later in the afternoon we set off for Stubbs Mill and saw a Great White Egret and Lapwings at the edge of the water

Stubbs Mill

The view from Stubbs Mill Raptor Point

with Goldfinches

Yellowhammers

Many different flights of Pink-footed geese

Jay

and eventually, when we had just about given up hope, two White Cranes appeared in the distance!

and even further away, there was a flight of eleven White Cranes - they were heard rather than seen!!!