Odd perches

Birds perched on odd perches is something of a recurring theme in my photography. This latest example has a wood pigeon perched on a wooden lion's head. Previous examples include a gull on cyclist, a heron on a heron, and a gull on a swan.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Colourful drake, drab duck

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In the world of birds it is quite common to find the male of the species to be relatively colourful in its plumage and the female to be more subdued. This isn't a universal rule, of course, and in species as disparate as the tree sparrow, the magpie, the kittiwake, the sand martin and the snipe, the male and female are pretty much identical. The distinction in colour is particularly noticeable in ducks. The most common duck, the mallard, has a colourful drake and a subdued female, the latter only sharing the purple speculum with the male. One of the biggest contrasts is between the male mandarin duck and the female, though in this case the female shares a couple of characteristics as well as having some unique features, such as the "spectacles".

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Lesser black-backed gull v Raven

The recent post of the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) reminded me of a photograph I took last year of this species. It was unusual because in the frame there was also a raven (Corvus corax). The two birds were scavenging for morsels of food that people had dropped at a Forestry England visitor centre in the Forest of Dean. Whilst they were strutting about in search of delicacies they were clearly keeping a very close eye on each other. As I watched them I was reminded of two wild west gunfighters, each acutely aware of the other, but pretending otherwise.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Coal Tit and Marsh Tit

A recent newspaper article reported the RSPB's latest information about Britain's birds that are increasing and decreasing in numbers. One that I recall that is becoming more numerous is the coal tit. This is in part due to the effects of people feeding birds that visit their gardens. On a recent walk in the Forest of Dean we saw quite a few species congregating at a feeding station, and among them was the coal tit (first photograph).

The other species attracted by the mixed seeds on offer were the blackbird, robin, dunnock, chaffinch, blue tit, great tit, nuthatch and marsh tit (second photograph).

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Mandarin ducks

The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) was first brought to the Britain from China in the mid-eighteenth century as an ornamental addition to private lakes and ponds. Whether it became more widely distributed by further releases or by escaping from private collections isn't known. However, it fairly quickly found its way to woodland ponds and is now a naturalised species. Of all Britain's introduced birds the drake is widely regarded as the most colourful, with the only challenger being the cock pheasant. I've usually only seen them as singles or couples. However, the Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, where I found this pair, supports a population of over 200 birds.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900