7 January 2009

I needed to clear my head this lunchtime so I checked the tide timetable which told me it would be half way between high and low tide, an ideal time, so I picked up my bins and camera and went. My reward was that pretty much the first bird I saw was a redshank, a first for me there! And, in case you were in doubt that the bird is where I say it is, on the second photo there is also some rather typical (unfortunately) litter from Thames shoreline around here (a pint glass) :)



Also there were the biggest group of tufted ducks I have seen there with 49 birds, lots of mallards, teals, gadwalls and black-headed gulls. Under Hammersmith Bridge a grey heron appeared to be trying to swallow a big piece of bread (!) while 2 crows were trying to take it from it...
Opposite the Wetland Centre was a shelduck, which you can see in the photo below among gulls, ducks and crows.



Even though it was not quite as cold today, I saw black-headed gulls land in Margravine Cemetery for the first time ever, to compete with the pigeons, crows and squirrels for bread and stuff.

I have also never seen the great spotted woodpeckers peck so low as they were at times barely off the ground.