Female Smew
Smew are described as compact diving ducks with delicate bills. Personally I’d call them dinky. The males are stunning bridal white with …
Smew three
Have I posted too many photographs of Smew? No, I didn’t think so.
Pochard
The Pochard, Aythya ferina, has been called Pochard since the mid 1500s but the origin of its name is lost in etymological …
Chiaroscuro
The interplay of light and dark with strong contrast obsessed many painters. Caravaggio was one of them. The drama of intense lighting, …
Rose-Ringed Parakeet in The Regent’s Park
Many of the parks in London are busy with a naturalised species of Parrot. The Rose-Ringed Parakeet is so successful that it …
Another introduced species
The Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiaca, is another species introduced into to the UK to the estates and parklands of stately homes by …
Long neck, long bill and long tail
The Northern Pintail, Anas acuta, has a long, elegant neck, a long beautifully curved beak, and a long pointed tail. It also …
Wigeon
I love how beautiful Wigeon are close-up. Their patterns and colours are a delight. Many come to the UK from Iceland, Scandinavia …
Smew two
The Smew in The Regent’s Park in London are a thrill to get close to, even if they are in shadow: Here’s …
Finally, a Little Owl
It’s been a dream of mine to see a Little Owl again, ever since I looked after a juvenile one when I …
Spatula
There is a pair of Northern Shovelers, Spatula clypeata, in The Regent’s Park. I sit under a weeping Willow and hope they’ll …
Tame Herons
The Herons in The Regent’s Park in central London are tame. That’s the only word to describe them. I’ve been here in …
A Cetti’s Warbler in central London
I’m in London for a little while having fun with my son. I just have time for a quick visit to The …
As daft as a Coot
The commonest bird on the water in The Regent’s Park is the Coot, Fulica atra. That must be stressful for them, as …
Canada Goose
There’s a flock of Canada Geese, Branta canadensis, here in The Regent’s Park. They were introduced in the late 17th century as an …
Duck!
Ducks are a constant source of comedy. If you want to tell a joke including an animal, a duck is the safest …
Heron portraits
It’s difficult light in The Regent’s Park in central London, but I’m making the most of being this close to a Grey …
The Grey Heron and the frankfurter sausage
I’m in London for a conference. It’s a whole day event, but I’m speaking at the end of the day, so I …
A fortress on the stalk of a leaf
It doesn’t look like much. After all, it’s just a bulge on a stalk of a leaf, scattered on the pavement in …
Little Grebe – big fish
I’m thrilled to see a Little Grebe appear in The Regent’s Park with a big fish in its bill: It’s powering along …
The reason ducks have such brilliant eyes
There’s a female Tufted Duck on the lake at The Regent’s Park in London. Looking at it I marvel at how brilliant …
Pochard on the pond
There’s a Pochard on the pond at The Regent’s Park. It’s a male, with a beautiful brown head and its bright red …
Look into my eyes
There’s an Egyptian Goose at The Regent’s Park in London: Its eyes make we want to keep looking into its eyes. I’d …
The Little Grebe and the little fish
There’s a Little Grebe in The Regent’s Park in London: It has a family. Here it is with one of its chicks: …
Juvenile Great Crested Grebe portraits
The juvenile Great Crested Grebes at The Regent’s Park are too big to be carried on their parents’ backs now. They’ve been …
Little Footy Arse
I love Little Grebes. They are so tiny and so buoyant. Whenever they resurface after a dive, they always surface like a …
Dastardly
There’s a grey Heron on the far bank of the water at The Regent’s Park in London. It looks dastardly: It sits …
A tasty morsel
There’s a juvenile Black Headed Gull in The Regent’s Park in London: They are very elegant but slightly bizarrely proportioned birds: This …
Carrion Crow portraits
The Regent’s Park is full of birds. It’s wiltingly hot and the Carrion Crows are sensibly in the shade. I’m hanging around, …
And then there was one
I make the last minute decision to go to London to meet friends and go to a concert. I pack a bag …