Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), Kensington Gardens, London.
© Fraser Simpson www.frasersimpson-birdphotography.com
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Thursday, January 31, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
London Herons in Breeding Plumage
Male Grey Herons are looking quite stunning at this time in late January - notice the blue lores and peachy-orange base to the beak.
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Thursday, January 24, 2013
Knot at Brent Reservoir
Sunday 20 January 2012
A trip to Brent Reservoir produced 58 species including Bearded Tit, Pintail (3), Fieldfare (17), Water Rail (2), and Jackdaw (89). The big surprise was a Knot flying around briefly in the East Marsh before moving on. Other observers picked up Turnstone and Dunlin and many recorded various wader movements around the city this weekend, no doubt all weather-related.
A trip to Brent Reservoir produced 58 species including Bearded Tit, Pintail (3), Fieldfare (17), Water Rail (2), and Jackdaw (89). The big surprise was a Knot flying around briefly in the East Marsh before moving on. Other observers picked up Turnstone and Dunlin and many recorded various wader movements around the city this weekend, no doubt all weather-related.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Egyptian Geese in the snow
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus), Regent's Park, London.
© Fraser Simpson www.frasersimpson-birdphotography.com
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Monday, January 14, 2013
Bearded Tits in Hyde Park
Surprising news surfaced via the Birdwatch office (read Dominic Mitchell's blog) and the London Birders yahoo email group on 11 January that two Bearded Tits (or Bearded Reedlings, Panurus biarmicus) had been seen in Hyde Park one month previous. Alan Gibson had reported them in a tiny reedbed on the Serpentine lake, right next to a busy path at the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain (between the Isis statue and the Lido). Park regular Ralph Hancock was sure he had heard them the previous day so Des McKenzie was on site at dawn the next morning and quickly located them.
This was the first record for both Hyde Park and the Inner London recording area and throughout Friday many local birders nipped to the park in their lunch breaks to see them feeding away on the Phragmites, right beside the path, and just over one kilometre away from Oxford Street! I spent about 10 hours standing in the cold attempting to get some nice images over the weekend. Finally on Sunday afternoon the sun appeared and the birds performed very well. All previous images in the overcast and windy conditions of Saturday were forgotten. Hundreds of people stopped to glimpse them over the weekend - but most were not birders. Passing tourists and park regulars formed the bulk of the admirers, following their initial curiosity at the huddle of watchers and optics.
Both these females are ringed and some detective work by various London birders and photographers has enabled a complete numerical sequence to be read and then traced by the BTO. Details have now been published on the BTO ringing 'Demog Blog' revealing that they were ringed in November 2012 at Rye Meads in Hertfordshire.
One thing that struck me is how habitat creation of even the smallest reedbed really is worthwhile!
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| Bearded Tit (Panurus biarmicus), Hyde Park, London, 13/01/13 |
This was the first record for both Hyde Park and the Inner London recording area and throughout Friday many local birders nipped to the park in their lunch breaks to see them feeding away on the Phragmites, right beside the path, and just over one kilometre away from Oxford Street! I spent about 10 hours standing in the cold attempting to get some nice images over the weekend. Finally on Sunday afternoon the sun appeared and the birds performed very well. All previous images in the overcast and windy conditions of Saturday were forgotten. Hundreds of people stopped to glimpse them over the weekend - but most were not birders. Passing tourists and park regulars formed the bulk of the admirers, following their initial curiosity at the huddle of watchers and optics.
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| Photographing Inner London's first Bearded Tits (not posed by a model) |
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| This image shows just how close the birds were to a path used by hundreds |
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Friday, January 11, 2013
New Year Birding
Well its traditional to get out on the first day of the new year to kick off a new list. Lisa and I walked to Brent Reservoir in north London and saw 50 species (later 55 species on the 6th), including Ruddy Duck, Water Rail, Snipe and Siskin. The sun was out and many Great Tits and Song Thrushes were singing at dawn, and wildfowl displaying throughout the day. We failed to catch up with the Bearded Tits, but hopefully this weekend...
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| Mute Swans, Brent Reservoir, London, 01/01/13 |
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