Marvellous Mallards

A pair of mallards flying in formation in Bushy Park. Even though they look so different when they're in the water their wing patches are strikingly similar when you see them in flight. The male's tail feathers have two little black curls in them. 

Listen

 No picture today. Go out and listen. Listen to the birds singing of Spring. The Blackbirds have a very different song. It is wonderful.

Antler Saga Part 2

I've just been out scouring for antlers again. Nothing. Although I'm beginning to feel pursued by bad luck. Here's the same deer 12 hours apart.

Searching for antlers

The deer in the park are shedding their antlers. It's late this year, probably because of the cold weather. The regrowth of new ones starts as soon as the old ones are shed. 

Try as I might I've not been able to find any shed antlers so far. I'm not getting out early enough, people pick them up. I'll try again today. This deer is probably keen to lose the other antler, he must feel lop-sided as they're relatively heavy.

New cameras

Fine Feather Press have invested in new cameras - it is all very exciting. 

Andrea is studiously reading the manual, I'm just pointing, clicking and hoping for the best. With luck, now the weather is improving, there will be a rush of very close up shots of things all in crispy detail. 

But I guess the manual reader will produce the best results.

Iridescent

Finally we're seeing a little sunshine. I put some fat out for the birds and uncannily a flock of Starlings appeared from nowhere. They only come when I put fat out.

They seemed to enjoy warming their shiny feathers in the early sun.

Feathery wing pits

Surprise today - I'd always assumed the female Mallard had wing feathers the same colour all over but I discovered they're bright white underneath. 

And whilst I was thinking of white I managed to snap a black-headed gull having a poo in flight. I am easily pleased.