Kearsney Abbey and Bushy Rough.

While my car was being MOT'd I wandered down to Kearsney  Abbey and Bushy Rough. 

Adult Mediterranean Gull.

Adult Mediterranean Gull.

 

First Winter Black-headed Gull 

  Adult Winter Black-headed Gull 

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Coal Tit

Coal Tit.

 

All fluffed up

I was watching a Dabchick diving for food at the Restharrow Scrape, Sandwich Bay today when I noticed something that I should have already been aware of.

When the Grebe first broke the surface it immediately fluffed up its feathers looking almost like a fluffy ball.

It stayed in this pose for a while, presumably using the trapped air as an insulation.

Then quite quickly it seemed to deflate and the tail end when down and the bird became much more streamlined.

All of the air was squeezed out of the feathers, as like a submarine it became submersible.

|The characteristic dive followed, with a little leap out of the water, showing just how far back the legs are set on the body.

The little tuft of a tail disappearing under the water as it went in search of small fish.

Of course at this time of year Teal are the commonest bird on the scrape. The female may not be as striking as her partner but is still subtly beautiful.

The more striking males are now all in full breeding plumage, and many were already in the mood for pairing up, with much head bobbing, up and down, being performed in front of the females in order to impress them.  

 There seemed to be a lot of Gadwall around and these also were mainly in pairs. It was good to be out in the sunshine, albeit rather cold as |I attempt my acclimatisation after the warmth of mid-summer in Queensland.

Time to build the Ark?

On January the second, I had a wander along to the Restharrow Scrape. 

A far as I c an remember we were already well into the wet season, and the water level of the scrape had already reached a height that exceeded the norm. Nevertheless there was still quite a large island in front of the hide on which a lot of the ducks chose to sit around.

Yesterday, despite the days benign weather, there was, as it has been for sometime now, no obvious sign of a island.

But a careful look at the identical area of water show that the top of the island is just about high enough to allow a couple of Shelducks the luxury of standing.

 On of my favourites on this particular puddle are the Dabchicks, and at this time of year they are in splendid plumage and can be good fun to watch. The are not too impressed when an uninvited guest invades their territory.

And the braying noise, I suppose that it could be called their song, that they used to advertise their ownership, is one of the great sounds in the spring.