Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, Grey wagtail, Jay, Pied wagtail, Roath Park, Roath Park Lake, robin, Tufted duck
My imminent house-moving was getting to me today and, as I’m already about two-thirds packed with a week still to go, I allowed myself an afternoon off for a long walk around my local parks for a Nature fix.
It always amazes me how many species of birds I can see in a walk around Roath Park Lake. Today it was 28: Carrion crow, Magpie, Jay, Robin, Dunnock, Lesser black-backed gull, Black-headed gull, Canada goose, Barnacle goose, Greylag goose, Mallard, Manky mallard and Aylesbury duck, Coot, Moorhen, Pochard, Tufted duck, Teal, Shoveler, Pied wagtail, Grey wagtail, Redwing, Song thrush, Cormorant, Mute swan, House sparrow, Feral pigeon and Woodpigeon (though purists might not count the Aylesbury duck, Manky mallards or Feral pigeons as extra species). Still, I think it’s an impressive total. These are just a very small selection of the photos I took …
earthstar 
Impressive tally indeed! Exactly my preferred style of birdwatching; let them come to you!
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It’s also a good wildlife recording method – walking a set route within a certain time period on a regular day and recording what you see. 🙂
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Manky mallards!! 😂 I have read about them, aren’t they hybrid ducks with funny white patches? And what are Aylesbury ducks?
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Yes. Mallards have a habit of inter-breeding and cross-breeding with other species, particularly with domestic ducks like Aylesbury (a large white farmyard duck, which is kept for its eggs and for eating) so they produce a wide range of different colours. They’re actually very pretty. I’ll need to get some pictures and do a post about them. 🙂
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Yes I would enjoy that! Thanks for the explanation! X
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These are wonderful photos, Annie! I haven’t seen a Grey Wagtail for quite a while, but I seen a few Pied Wagtails recently. They are such lovely birds to watch.
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Thanks, Pete. I hadn’t seen a grey for a while either – this one was picking its way around the debris at the edge of the lake – a pleasure to watch.
And there were 3 pairs of pieds that day – they seem to come into urban areas more in the winter, as I’ve noticed them in the local streets in recent weeks as well.
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