Back for another visit to Belvide today.
Here a trio of Shelduck landing. These were part of a group of four drakes – all these are drakes – and one duck which made for much chasing and splashing.
Here two drakes having a set-too with the one duck sideways on to the right – a smaller and less colourful bird, perhaps a first-year?
As with many ducks ‘head-throwing’ is used in display. These are both drakes so it is as likely to be a dominance pose as much as a direct mating display.
A good opportunity to see the upperwing pattern.
As usual some Gadwall photos: here a duck wing-flapping: upperwing.
And underwing.
Must get a better camera. Bridge cameras do not do flying birds too well. Here we see the upperwing of a drake Gadwall.
A ‘one-hand-clapping’ drake Goldeneye. How? Why?
A stately Grey Heron.
An illustration of how the angle of the light can affect perception of plumage tones on gulls. This adult Lesser Black-backed Gull’s wings were in fact the same colour.
And seconds later the same bird looks very different. Are those legs yellow? Well they are certainly not red like the accompanying Black-headed Gull.
They look rather more yellow here but I would hard-pushed to argue against ‘flesh’ coloured.
Not quite my usual chirpy Blue Tit. It seems to be in rather a poor state and may only have one leg.
This Marsh Tit stayed lurking in the vegetation to eat nuts taken from the feeders.
A slightly better shot here, again a bird with a ring. Note the pale edges to the secondaries which is supposed to mean it is a Willow Tit rather than this very similar species. Voice, the most reliable identification feature, said Marsh Tit. It is perhaps not surprising that the two species were not separated until around 1900. Willow Tits are not supposed to visit bird-tables in winter but beware: I have seen them on tube feeders: perhaps they are learning.
A handsome, if that is the right word, female Blackbird. At this level of detail we see many pale fringes to feathers and a real variety of brown tones.
Dunnocks are the archetypical ‘little brown job’. However their markings are subtle, specially the speckled area under the eye. And their mating and nesting behaviour makes Jackie Collins’ books seem tame. Note: as most small birds here it is wearing a ring.
Needs must: this female Brambling did not stay around to allow it to be photographed in the surrounding natural vegetation so a shot at the feeder was all I could manage. The head markings are similar to a female Chaffinch: the orange in the wings, very pale on this individual, separates. So too would the white rump – if we could see it.
(Ed Wilson)
