counting coots

A visit to Brent Reservoir late in the day yesterday with the wife was nice - picking up some year ticks (Pochard, Shoveler but no Ruddy Ducks) and watching Swans waddling on the ice (as much of the water was still a large sheet - which in itself is good as it stops the boat people chuffing about before falling in and consuming large quantities of blue green algae while disturbing the important things, ie birds). Anyhow, this picture amused me as the inner city Coots utterly disobey the instructions from the London borough of Barnet.

I had hoped to pick up on recent reports of a Firecrest and a Cetti's that were knocking about, but to no avail (why is that not suprising?). The closest I got was a Goldcrest and a Cetti's singing on the Natural World program about Cuckoo's. Which was a top notch bit of research and film making - I even half tuned into the repeat!