Our next stop was a Cannop ponds which is a reliable spot to see Mandarin Ducks. These were introduced to Britain and have bred successfully here in the Forest of Dean. The males are particularly striking even on a dull day like it was on this occasion.
Even the duller females have a delicate beauty to them.
Here's a male taking a bath. He was further out so these are heavily cropped.
I managed to catch another pair.......ahem............mating! Again, this was quite far out on the pond so these photos are cropped quite a bit.
Our final stop of the day was at Worgreens a lake with surrounding reeds. We had gone there to try and see Willow Tit (which we didn't manage to see). However, we were surprised and delighted to find 6 Garganey here. It's normally hard to find even one of these birds as they usually skulk in the dense vegetation, but these were right out in the open. I can only presume that they were recent migrants just in. Garganey are summer visitors to Britain. I couldn't get close to them, so this is only a record shot of one of the pairs.
There were also some very tame Greylag Geese here!
It was a successful if very cold day!
10 comments:
Lovely shots of the Mandarin Jen and it was a good to get a look at the Garganey.
Hi Roy, thanks. Yes the Garganey were a real bonus! (-:
Great Post Jen. brings back so many great memories of hours spent with you, Paul and Marcus in the Forest of Dean.
An enjoyable variety of images Jen and I really like the Mandarin series :-) Also nice to see the Raven and Garganey :-)
I'm ashamed to say that I know very little about that corner of England and even less about Wales but judging by your observations it is certainly worthy of a visit sometime in the future :-)
The Mandarin ducks are so very pretty Jen. Glad you had such a great day! Did you get my Twitter address Jenny? Are you on Facebook? I broke down and opened an account. I am still not sure about the whole deal. I can't find your email, waaaah.
Hi Tony, yes, happy memories! (-: Going there reminds me of Maggie too. I still miss her! )-:
Hi David, I have to admit to knowing very little about your part of the world. As a young girl, my family did have summer holidays up near Driffield. I loved it! (-: I've not been up there since!
Hi Pix, where did you leave your twitter name? I shall try and look you up on FB as well! (-: xx
You did well to brave the inhospitable weather Jenny. The male Mandarins have always looked to me as if they are made out of different coloured pieces of felt ;-) I have never seen one, they don't seem to have reached my area yet. Well done with the Garganey, they are very striking I think. Lovely sequence of Mandarin photos.
Hi Jan, yes, they're fantastical birds with so many colours! I remember watching a flock of Garganey flying around in Portugal and they were calling. They sound just like a geiger counter! (-:
That Mandarin does seem to be having enormous fun. Great series – Tim
Hi Tim, thanks for commenting on my blog. Yes, though he took his time about it! (-:
Post a Comment