04 Tuesday Oct 2022
Posted in birds
I spotted this gorgeous little Coot chick (I call them Cootlets) during last Wednesday’s walk around Cardiff’s Roath Park Lake. It seemed very late in the breeding season for one so young and I couldn’t help but wonder whether it could survive. But it had the full attention of both its parents, so fingers crossed!
08 Thursday Apr 2021
Tags
birding, birds nesting in Cardiff Bay, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Great crested grebes mating
Great crested grebes are featuring here twice in one week but I can never resist a good story. When I arrived at Cardiff Bay wetlands yesterday, a pair was in the reeds near the boardwalk.
The female was lying flat across the beginnings of a nest platform, making odd groaning noises. Having seen this before, I knew what was going to happen next …
And it did. After a few minutes, the male jumped up on top of her and they proceeded to mate.
The dismount with grebes would never score well in a gymnastics competition – the male sort of slides off, pushing the female’s head under the water.
You could almost hear their after-thoughts: ‘Better get on with the nest building’, and both birds began gathering twigs to place on the nest.
But a nearby Coot was having none of it. He didn’t want these noisy characters for neighbours and, faster than the grebes could place twigs on the platform, he was pulling them off again.
There was a stand-off, much posturing and squawking, and eventually the male grebe charged the Coot. The grebe thought it had won but the Coot didn’t retreat far. The grebes might keep trying but my money’s on the Coot to win this territorial battle.
09 Tuesday Mar 2021
Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve, Coot, coots fighting
Coots don’t do mediation. If a pair likes the look of or has already staked a claim to a particular nesting place, then they’ll fight to retain / defend that position.
Today I watched these two pairs battling over the pond in Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve.
It’s actually quite a large pond, which should be big enough for both pairs, but these Coots obviously thought otherwise.
And they certainly don’t pull any punches!
27 Monday Apr 2020
Tags
birding, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Coot, Ely embankment, Pied wagtail, Rock pipit, Shelduck, starling, Turnstone
I felt the need to see some birds today so headed down to Cardiff Bay for my exercise walk. First up, this pair of Shelducks were working their way around the water’s edge near the Barrage – first I’ve seen since the lockdown began.
This Starling had a beakful of caterpillar and flies so I presume it had hungry mouths to feed somewhere nearby.
At least fourteen Turnstones were picking and poking their way along the stones of the embankment, this one looking very handsome in its breeding colours.
This Coot was busy pulling bits of rubbish into the pile of sticks it has begun shaping into a nest. Its mate was nearby, hauling a branch to weave into the growing structure.
This was the first Rock pipit I’ve seen for a little while. It was busily prospecting for nibbles so perhaps it also has offspring to feed.
Most of the wagtails have moved away to breed but this Pied wagtail looked very handsome amongst the Herb Robert and Red valerian that now covers much of the embankment.
13 Friday Mar 2020
Mr and Mrs Coot are pleased to announce the laying of three eggs! I can’t tell male from female Coot – I’m not even sure if it’s possible to tell which is which – but one of them was sitting tight on the nest when I visited this morning.
However, this small area of water has two pairs of Coots in residence, and they are uneasy neighbours. First, they were simply trying to intimidate each other.
Next thing you know, there’s a full scale battle underway.
And the sitting Coot left the nest to join in the tussle, which is how I know there are three eggs.
Luckily, the skirmish didn’t last long, and the eggs were soon safe and warm under their parent once more.
29 Friday Nov 2019
Tags
birding, birdwatching, Black-headed gull, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Bay birds, Chiffchaff, Coot, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Kingfisher, Linnet, Pied wagtail, Turnstone
What a wonderful long walk I had around Cardiff Bay today! Here are some of the birds I spotted along the way.
There were nine Goosanders in total, four in the River Ely where it flows in to the Bay and another five further east, in the Bay proper.
My favourite little Turnstones, again four along the Ely embankment and more near Mermaid Quay.
Linnets, a small flock of six flitting about the grassy slopes of the Barrage.
Pied wagtails – I lost count of these cheery little characters who appeared wherever I wandered.
One of several Great crested grebes that live in the Bay, constantly diving for fish.
I was getting ‘the look’ from this Black-headed gull, in the pond at the wetlands reserve, for not supplying food!
This Coot was also hoping for food.
This Chiffchaff was a surprise – it’s either very late migrating or has decided to over-winter in Britain, as some now do. Interestingly, I saw a Chiffchaff yesterday too, in a different location.
The best possible end to my walk – a Kingfisher peep-peep-peeped in to the pool near Hamadryad Park and perched on a branch over the water.
04 Monday Nov 2019
Tags
Bahama pintail, birding, birding in London, birds in St James's Park London, birdwatching, Black swan, Canada goose, Coot, Egyptian Goose, Greylag goose, Moorhen, Ring-necked parakeet, Shelduck, St James's Park London, Tufted duck
I’ve just returned from three days with two friends in London. We were doing touristy things as our Australian friend hadn’t been to London before but I did manage some birding during our walk through St James’s Park. Though abundant and obviously breeding locally, most of these cannot really be classed as wild birds but they’re lovely just the same.
The birds we saw included Mute swan and Black swan, Black-headed gull, Moorhen, Egyptian and Greylag and Canada goose, Feral pigeon, Shelduck and some species of white duck that I don’t recognise, Grey heron, Ring-necked parakeet, Bahama pintail, Tufted duck and more. Unfortunately, the resident Pelicans were hiding on their island so we saw them not.
05 Tuesday Mar 2019
Posted in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring
Tags
#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Coot, Coot nesting, Coot on nest, rubbish around bird's nest, rubbish in waterways
What can I say? Sometimes I get very angry at the human race!
21 Thursday Feb 2019
Posted in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature, spring
Tags
#365DaysWild, birding, birds building nests, birdwatching, British birds, Coot, coot nest building
As we’ve had a very unseasonal high of 14°C today (this is still meant to be winter remember), it’s not surprising that birds’ thoughts are turning to nest building. Today, at Cosmeston, I saw Magpies and Carrion crows stick-carrying, a Blue tit with moss in its beak perched on the entrance hole of a conveniently placed nest box, and this Coot transporting bits of reed to a secretive location.
15 Friday Jun 2018
Posted in birds, flowers, nature, walks, wildflowers
Tags
#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, Cardiff Bay, Carrion crow, Coot, Ely embankment, feral pigeon, Linnet, Mallard, Mute swan, Pied wagtail, River Ely, Small tortoiseshell
My regular followers will remember that, over the winter months, when there were more birds around, I posted a regular monthly roundup of the action along the embankment where the River Ely flows in to Cardiff Bay. Today, for day 15 of #30DaysWild, I thought I’d take another look. Here’s what I found …
The embankment is a riot of colour, with both native wildflowers and garden escapees in full bloom.
Two Linnets were foraging on flower seeds but were very skittish.
Loving these Oxeye daisies.
A juvenile Pied wagtail was feeding near the waterline.
A flock of 7 Feral pigeons was also foraging amongst the flowers
This Mallard had found a sunny spot for a snooze.
23 Mute swans were floating up the river, many taking the opportunity to preen as they went.
9 Coots were congregating at the water’s edge.
I saw my first Small tortoiseshell butterfly of the year.
Looking back up the river as an Aquabus shows sightseers the river. The black hulk is a new apartment block.
And finally, a Carrion crow was prospecting for tasty morsels.
earthstar 
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