During a walk around Roath Park Lake one day last week, the three Little egrets caught my eye. These are two of them (the other was perched in a distant tree.). This first bird was shuffling along in the very low water by the islands, hoping to disturb tasty invertebrates in the mud below its feet, though how it could see them through all that vegetation on the water’s surface, I don’t know.
The second Little egret was a surprise, as it was fishing from the lake’s bank, something I’ve never seen them do before. So intent was it on spotting any movement in the water that it seemed oblivious to the busy pedestrian traffic along the footpath just a couple of metres behind it, though 99% of those pedestrians were so focused on their phones or busy chatting loudly to their companions that they didn’t notice the egret either.
It was a photographer’s dream though, as the bird was close, and the light was dull, meaning the usual flare from the egret’s whiter-than-white feathers wasn’t as difficult as in bright sunshine. Sadly, due to the bird’s rapid movement, my shots of it catching fish were all a bit blurry but it had obviously chosen its fishing spot well.
At the southern end of the lake, where you can walk across the embankment dam (this is a man-made lake), a juvenile Moorhen was perched on the low ironwork structure that fences off the water outlet. It was preening vigorously but paused when it became aware it was being watched, so I took a few photos.
The lake is home to many geese, both Canada and Greylag, the numbers varying depending on the time of year. Some birds, semi-domesticated, remain year round; others are wild birds that leave to breed elsewhere but return to winter at the lake. Many of the Greylags are white, their ancestors probably farmed geese, but some retain the grey colour and patterning of their truly wild predecessors. I liked the way these two seemed to be striking a pose.
