Mongrel Mallard

The title is Sheila's description of the odd looking duck masquerading as the father of a brood of ten ducklings on the mere. It's probably a juvenile from a previous brood that's sticking with its mother still, so it's not the father (which is what I first assumed) though the father is almost definitely an odd looking duck itself, that has passed on its genes to this one.

It's interesting to note that one of the ten ducklings is similarly coloured and stands out from the rest - it is all dark bar a white breast.

they're back

04.02.09
it's the reed buntings, who were first spotted last year, 23.03.08
-today I saw two, but photographed one.
They may have been here all year long,
-but if they were, I didn't see them . . .

04.02.09
there was a "fly over", of perhaps 10 redwing.
Elusive, noisy, shy and fast, they remain a difficult bird to "capture".
This one was 100 yards along the railway track from the Mere, after the fly over,
-so it's one for this site as far as I'm concerned.

27.01.09
always worth including, the ever obliging blue tit

27.01.09
the lovely, elusive, ever-on-the-move, long tailed tit

27.01.09
two shots of what currently, seems to be our resident song thrush,
-on this misty morning, pointed out to me by Jack.

17.12.08
a young mute swan

07.12.08
mallard may be common, but they always look full of character,
-this female looks a bit threatening.

07.12.08

mallard, included here purely because I quite like the pic;
-they had their eye on me and soon made off.

07.12.08
little grebe, snapped way after the pair had been spotted.
Looking eerily atmospheric in the mist.

the elusive grebe

still can't get an image of this fellow that I am happy with,
in his absence, here's a few others to fill the space



looking straight at you, the irresistable blue tit.

hard to see clearly, a siskin, probing for those last few seeds.

there is no getting away from it, mallards are beautiful.
they seem to be mating already, is it springtime?