It was a pochard sort of day at Welney Bird Reserve this morning:
The above is a male, one of the many hundreds there today. A winter migrant to the UK from the eastern Baltic, as the following shows, most of those present were males. The females (there are two in this picture) go on to Spain for the winter. The belief is that this is because the males return to the breeding grounds first, hoping to woo a mate by having claimed a prime slot by the time the females get back, and so get the chance to breed with her.
These are really attractive dabbling ducks, quite like our all-year-round native tufted ducks in size and behaviour.
They weren't actually the most impressive birds of the day - they were either the several thousand lapwing and golden plover that murmurated together whenever a marsh harrier came over or the maybe 800 pink-footed geese on site - again, a winter visitor, which is bank ibn big numbers. I did not get pictures of either that were useful.
It was a good morning for forgetting Trump, Reeves and the collective madness that is gripping the politics of our economies.
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Lovely photos! Thank you.
Since we came home from Wales just before Bonfire Night I haven’t seen a single sparrow – we can’t put bird food in the front garden (and back garden too, but I don’t see that) since we had rats coming to eat the food… We still need to check that with the neighbours, but even if the rats are gone now I suspect they’ll be back if we put bird food out in the feeders again. (Weeps)
It’s lovely to see your bird photos, I really appreciate it when you post them.
Thanks
And sorry about the rats
That is really bad news
House and tree sparrows were at Welney today. It’s the only place around here I regularly see tree sparrow.
“it was a good morning for forgetting Trump”
You for got the water buffalo too.
The Royal Order of the Water Buffalo (England Chapter) and The North American order of Water Buffalo (USA, Mexico and Canada; because the the United Auto Workers they are all members of the same union) are planning a live and online protest. They do not care if Starmer and Reeves have them arrested. Like politicians, Water Buffalo, with their with excellent aim, are professionals in slinging mud and dung
I haven’t been to see them, for a while…..