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Tag Archives: Roath Park Lake

Tooting Teal

10 Thursday Nov 2022

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, British ducks, Roath Park Lake, Teal

I could hear them tooting from the other side of the road so quickly got my camera out and headed across to Roath Park Lake. There were six Teal in total, four males and two females. One pair was drifting off to one side together but it was the other three males that were making all the noise.

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The second female, a delicate brown-and-grey beauty, was the subject of their intense attention. All three males were circling her, making their distinctive tooting call and flinging back their heads. I had never seen this behaviour before but their display was unmistakeable. Each was trying, but seemingly failing to impress the female. They were certainly presenting her with some very handsome choices, and I was definitely impressed.

221110 teal (2)

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Very late, very little

04 Tuesday Oct 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Coot, Coot chick, Roath Park Lake

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!

221004 cootlet

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Bundles of fluff

05 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, bundles of fluff, goslings, Greylag, Greylag goose, Roath Park Lake, signs of spring

180405 Greylag goslings (1)

As this year’s lingering wintery weather has delayed the true advent of spring by about three weeks, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see these four gorgeous Greylag goslings when I went for a wander around Roath Park Lake on Tuesday. But, as Greylag eggs take about 28 days to incubate, Mrs Goose may well have started laying just prior to the ‘Beast from the East’ storm on 1 March. Full praise to her for persevering through two heavy dumpings of snow, freezing temperatures, and some very heavy deluges of rain as well!

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A gathering of grebes

25 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, little grebe, Roath Park Lake, Tachybaptus ruficollis

Six is the highest number of Little grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis) I’ve ever seen in one group – these were on Roath Park Lake a couple of days ago – but the really tricky thing was to get them all above water and in shot at the same time!

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One, two, plus two with their heads below water … and two circles of bubbles.

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One up, three on their way under … and two nowhere to be seen.

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Nope!

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Almost!

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YES! Success at last.

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Autumn migration: Garganey

30 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

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Anas querquedula, autumn migration, birding, birdwatching, British birds, British ducks, ducks, Garganey, migrating birds, Roath Park Lake

When sightings of rare birds are reported, the birds are usually in out-of-the-way locations that are difficult to access by public transport so I can’t go looking but yesterday was different. A ‘scarce and very secretive’ duck had been spotted at Roath Park Lake, my old stomping ground, so I hopped on a train and was there like a shot.

170930 Garganey (1)

The bird was a Garganey (Anas querquedula) and it was certainly living up to its reputation: I spent 30 minutes or so walking and looking and couldn’t spot it (though the Teal and Shovelers were an added bonus amongst the resident water birds). A fellow birder told me he’d seen the Garganey briefly through his ’scope but it had then disappeared under overhanging tree branches. So, I went for a walk around the park, watched a young Heron fishing in the sluice and enjoyed the autumn colour, before heading around the lake again on my way back to the train. And there it was!

170930 Garganey (2)

The female Garganey looks much like a female Mallard at first glance but she is a much smaller duck, the markings on her face are stronger, with the eye stripe giving her quite an exotic look, and she has a bill that shows she’s a dabbler. She was very active, constantly ducking her head under the water for plant material and insects – in fact, most of my photos are of a headless duck!

170930 Garganey (5)
170930 Garganey (6)
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Garganeys are only seen in small numbers in Britain, as they pass through during spring and autumn migration, so being able to see and watch this beautiful female was a treat indeed!

170930 Garganey (3)
170930 Garganey (4)

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Bird babies

10 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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baby birds, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Coot, cootlet, cygnet, duckling, Mallard, Mute swan, Roath Park Lake

While it was a pleasure to see the Little egrets at Roath Park on Thursday, it was the other birds that brought me the most joy, especially because there were so many babies to be seen.

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Cygnets, cootlets, ducklings, all at various stages of development, could be seen swimming, being fed by their parents and learning to feed themselves, and just sitting dozing in the warm sunshine.

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Even the base of the Scott memorial lighthouse has become a nursery for a family of seven little coots.

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I defy anyone to look at these and not smile!

170710 bird babies (6)

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Gulls as kleptoparasites

24 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, parks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

bird feeding habits, birding, birdwatching, black-headed gulls, Coot, gulls stealing food, kleptoparasitism, Roath Park Lake, Tufted duck

Some time ago at Roath Park Lake I was intrigued to notice Black-headed gulls using Coots as their personal fishers, and I have since noticed this behaviour between the gulls and Tufted ducks as well, though I haven’t yet seen them using this feeding method with the other water bird species at the lake.

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These gulls eat different food from the coots and ducks – gulls eat insects, worms, scraps, etc whereas the ducks and coots are mostly vegetarian, though the tufties will also eat some insects – so, presumably, the gulls aren’t actually stealing food the other birds would eat themselves.

170124-gull-and-tufted-duck

The ducks and coots dive down for food, while the gulls float patiently waiting for them to surface. When they do, the gulls paddle over to see if there’s anything interesting for them to steal. The coots and tufties don’t seem to object to the gulls, even though they’re doing all the work. I guess they would be doing the diving anyway and, if the gulls aren’t actually stealing their food, then they’ve nothing to lose. The official term for creatures that take the food other creatures have caught, prepared or collected is kleptoparasitism, hence my title.

When researching this post, I located an excellent article that goes into much more detail than I have about this and similar bird behaviour: ‘Food usurpation by waterfowl and waders’ by Juan A. Amat can be found here.

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Lovely dovey

18 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, spring

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Mute swan, Roath Park, Roath Park Lake, swans mating

Spring was in the air at Roath Park Lake yesterday – or maybe in the water. First, I saw this – you might not believe me when I tell you there are two swans there!

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And breathe!

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And then it was all kissy wissy, smoochy woochy, lovey dovey!

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Roath Park Bird Walk

15 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, parks

≈ 7 Comments

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.

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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 …

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170115-tufted-duck-female

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Fog

20 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by sconzani in nature, seasons, winter

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

fog, mist, Roath Lake, Roath Park, Roath Park Lake, winter weather

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I can see it coming. Rolling silently over the house roofs and tree tops from the south, where the sea lies, where the ocean roars. Slowly, gradually, the light grows dim, eerie, the sun’s rays weaker, unable to penetrate the gloom. Trees vanish, leaving mere ghostly outlines.

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Sounds become muffled but, at the same time, strangely amplified. Voices echo, seem nearby yet, in reality, are hundreds of metres distant. Footsteps tap, tap, tap. Spectral figures appear, pass quickly by, disappear once more. Birds fall silent as if afraid to pierce the silence with their squawks, tweets, chirps.

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Fog is everywhere, blanketing the lake, flowing along the brook, shrouding buildings, hovering over bushes, making branches droop, making hair frizz. Creeping tendrils wind their way through tree branches, wrap themselves around park benches, slither between railings. Fog makes throats choke and chests heave, and seeps into old bones.

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On Roath Lake, the light-less lighthouse needs a light today and a horn to warn.

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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