Although they are very common I think that Moorhens are worth a second look. The bill is striking and they have a little know show "biz talent". They do impersonations.
This one, the other day at the Restharrow scrape, was perfecting its imitation of a Black Heron (Egret). That's the bird that makes an umbrella of it's wings when it is fishing, so it can see the fish.
Along one small area of the edge of the reeds I noticed a lot of activity. Five birds of four species were all feeding in a very small area. The two Mallards and the Shoveler were all upending, continuously in one small area and they were followed round be a Dabchick (Little Grebe) that was diving among them.
The Moorhen was also feeding and doing a Mallard up-ending imitation on the edge of the reeds.
All the ducks up ending in the same area wasn't surprising, but I thought that the muddied water would have made feeding more difficult for the Grebe, but it seems that it must have benefited from the disturbance, possibly moving the food it was after out of the weed that the ducks were taking.
Although they are very common I think that Moorhens are worth a second look. The bill is striking and they have a little know show "biz talent". They do impersonations.
This one, the other day at the Restharrow scrape, was perfecting its imitation of a Black Heron (Egret). That's the bird that makes an umbrella of it's wings when it is fishing, so it can see the fish.
Along one small area of the edge of the reeds I noticed a lot of activity. Five birds of four species were all feeding in a very small area. The two Mallards and the Shoveler were all upending, continuously in one small area and they were followed round be a Dabchick (Little Grebe) that was diving among them.
The Moorhen was also feeding and doing a Mallard up-ending imitation on the edge of the reeds.
All the ducks up ending in the same area wasn't surprising, but I thought that the muddied water would have made feeding more difficult for the Grebe, but it seems that it must have benefited from the disturbance, possibly moving the food it was after out of the weed that the ducks were taking.
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