Tuesday, August 10, 2010
I was going to waffle on about discuss imprinting in wildfowl. I was perhaps going to mention Konrad Lorenz (younger viewers may not remember black and white film of a bloke walking around with loads of geese following him). I might have even mentioned his membership of the Nazi Party. I was going to read some books and get some info and stuff. To elucidate and enlighten and perhaps entertain. Unfortunately, to justify all that nonsense, I needed a second view of a bird at a local park to check that my initial assumption was correct. Basically, because the initial assumption was interesting, but unproven (that's science kids).
Instead of all that, I proffer a picture and a brief synopsis (an abstract mayhaps) of what I might have waffled on about discussed had I found this bird last night, when in fact I found not much at all.
You see that Tufted Duckling? It thinks that the Mallard is it's mother.
Perhaps.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Now that spring migrancy is in full swing (a solitary swallow last week is migrancy with all guns blazing round here) and I have actually managed to get into the patch, I have seen birds. Monday's visit was cut short because Jim turned up. You don't know Jim, or need to know what he does, but he's bloody good at it and I needed to see him. Hurumph. Yesterday I did get a good look about, on a high tide. There are at least 3 lots of Coots that look like they are trying to nest, other visible breeders include Magpie, Crow, Goldfinch, Parakeet and Blackbird. Assumed breeders include Dunnock, Greenfinch, Mallard, Canada Goose, Tits, Wren etc etc
Strangely though, there are two birds remaining that really ought to be on their way. They are winter birds as far as this patch is concerned and I look forward to their arrival during the late summer doldrums. They precede the Pintail and outlast the Teal and are often overlooked. I reckon that they are good looking ducks and the two Gadwall that I saw yesterday should have gone by now. Shouldn't they?
A coot doing prospecting for a new nest site no doubt
Postscript.
I was going to thank the people at blogger for putting a spellchecker back on the system, because although I can generally spell I tend not to check. But then they've gone and screwed the photo uploading system. Something that was simple and worked is now all linked into to picasa ffs. Thanks a bloody bunch.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Because my telescope doesn't seem to be able do Scaup. There is a female Scaup that has been at Brent Res for quite some time now. But I haven't seen it, and it's not for want of trying. It keeps popping up on the Londonbirders wiki, I keep seeing it in the log book in the hide. I've even seen it on another blog. I just haven't been able to see it in the flesh, on the water, doing what Scaup do.
It's getting a bit frustrating. I think that today, I might go and look at some Coots instead as I know that I'll find them. Meanwhile, have a picture from the hide at Brent Res, without a Scaup.
Brent Res doing clouds and stuff, but no Scaup.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Imagine my suprise yesterday lunchtime...
The tide was rising and leaving me few options on the foreshore for gullage etc. I headed for Wandsworth Park. I thought I might amuse myself by getting some gull ID's wrong. No such time for that as I looked over the fence to the river and saw the top of a Wigeon. Get in! Patch tick! I then took in the rest of the waterfowl on the river and noticed that there were two Wood Ducks there too. Oh, that's really strange thought I. And there was a female too. Okay....
Unfortunately the Wigeon seemed to be quite friendly with the Wood Ducks. So much so that when the Wigeon swam off, the Wood Ducks followed him. And when they all got together again closer to the barges, the Wigeon seemed to be courting the female Wood Duck. Drat.
Getting out Occam's Razor again (sorry) I am left with the following conclusion. 3 non-tickable, probably escaped, ducks are following a duck that is known to be kept in captivity. This duck is cavorting with the female non-tickable duck.
The Wigeon is an escape. Guilty by association. And thenceforthly is not a patch tick.
Gutted.
Four ducks doing plastic.
Monday, February 08, 2010
As far as I am concerned, trying to connect with birds on a familiar patch is not twitching. Going to a local patch, hoping that something good is going to be there is not twitching.
However, going to a local patch to try and see mental looking chinese ducks and not seeing them is dipping. Going to a local patch, looking in the book to see what has been seen, finding out that the female Scaup is still knocking about and that there was a drake Goldeneye there in the morning and not seeing either of them is dipping. They look(ed) like this.
So there you have the brief synopsis of a small amount of birding over the weekend. Dipping.
Anyone noticed how tasty the Tufties are looking at the moment?
A Tufted Duck doing cracking plumage and everything.
