I see this guy around the neighborhood quite a bit. Today he finally let me take his photograph.
Leucistic Blackbird
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Odd Ducks
I first noticed this pair of odd ducks in January, when they hung around with the congregation on the Spree. They always kept a bit to themselves at the very edge of the crowd. In March they moved over to a little pond in the Englischer Garten by the Teehaus, where they appear to be the only resident ducks. I assume that they are mallard hybrids, as they resemble these other examples fairly closely. They are most certainly a pair.
Juvenile Tree Sparrow?
I believe this is a juvenile tree sparrow, but it could be another species. Notice the yellow gape, the long claws, and the ragged tail feathers.
Birds in London: Mystery Duck
I found this lovely duck on the Thames, near Battersea Park. Does anyone know what kind of duck it is? A male in non-breeding plumage? I am pretty ignorant when it comes to ducks.
Birds in London: Greylag Geese
Snacks?
An unsuspecting young boy is about to make some new friends.
Birds in London: Starling Pool Party
Why stand around in the Kensington Gardens, cold and complaining, being partially wet? It’s more fun to get really wet! Get your friends wet too!
Birds in London: Little Coots
Coot children look like something invented by Hieronymus Bosch. This is an advanced little coot, who can slurp up slime all by itself.
And this little coot still has his slime fed to him by his parents. He waits eagerly, a fuzzball of color in the dreary pond.
These coots are all residents of the Wandsworth Common.
Birds in London: Moorhen Family
Moorhen children look like balding aliens! But cute balding aliens. Their parents take turns bringing them slime carefully collected from the bottom of the pond, and they enjoy their slime very much.
Birds in London: Parenting
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to take a very nice, if very wet, trip to London. Because of the terrible weather I wasn’t able to do too much birding, but I did manage to spend a morning watching parenting of all kinds in the Wandsworth Common. I only photographed the avian parents, but all the while a number of humans were engaged in pretty similar activities behind me.
This mallard mother was mad at the coot for getting too close to her ducklings. The coot was trying to get the best pond slime for its own children, and wasn’t too happy to be pushed around by the mallard. They made a big fuss about the whole thing.
This is what an angry coot looks like. I don’t think the mallard was too impressed.
Birds in London: Juvenile Mallard
The back of a juvenile mallard in Wandsworth Common.