Category Archives: water birds

Unusual Goose at Falmer

March 11, 2015 by Words | 3 Comments

Lots of greylags at Falmer Pond today, but one definite oddity among them. It looks somewhat like a Canada goose (the white neck patch), but the bill and legs are the wrong colour. It also looks a little like a Ben goose, but they don’t have the white patch (but the legs/bill are approximately correct). Possibly a hybrid, but certainly wild. It had gone by lunchtime, so may have just joined up briefly with the greylag flock.

Anyway, here’s a couple of photos of it, and if anyone can identify it properly I’d be very grateful!

Wild Fowl

Unknown goose (hybrid?)

Is this a Canada Goose/Greylag cross or something else?

I did get some good shots of the greylags and of some of the ducks. I’ll post those over the weekend. That’s all for tonight.

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.

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Rat Standing on Two Legs (plus some birds)

March 10, 2015 by Words | 4 Comments

Lovely sunny day today, and the local inhabitants at Falmer Pond were in one of their collectively more cooperative moods. Plenty of subjects to choose from, including the title subject (but I’ll reserve that for the end).

First up is something of a re-visit to yesterday’s post. Another dunnock, but this time in decent light against a clean background.

Dunnock on brick wall

Dunnock on brick wall

The great tits are busy too. This one is on a coconut ‘fat’ feeder at the front of St Laurence Church, adjacent to the pond.

Great tit on coconut shell

Then there are the little wagtails.

Pied wagtail on dead tree

And even the ducks were in fine fettle.

duck and reflection

But the star of the day… this little rodent. The water levels are gradually going down at the pond which has brought some of the summer rat runs back into use. This one is close to one of the more popular points for throwing bread to the ducks and gulls. A few crumbs had landed on top of the boulder. The rat was considering its options…

rat on hind legs

Rat on hind legs

rat on hind legs

Rat pushing large boulder

rat by water

It eventually chose an easier option.

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.

Also posted in Birds, rats, Wildlife Tagged , , , , |

Dunnock and Fulmars

March 9, 2015 by Words | 2 Comments

I have a soft spot for dunnocks. They are very unglamorous birds. About the size of a sparrow, they tend to stay near hedgerows and are the archetypical little brown bird that no-one can name. They are quite bold though and this one was quite unconcerned by my presence this morning.

Dunnock

Dunnock

Dunnock

Later in the day I had to nip down to Rottingdean and took the opportunity for 20 minutes by the cliffs. The fulmars are fully in residence, and they were easy to spot on their roosts along the cliff face. I love the way they seem so contentedly domestic.

Fulmars on the cliffs at Rottingdean

Fulmars on the cliffs at Rottingdean

Fulmars on the cliffs at Rottingdean

Fulmars on the cliffs at Rottingdean

Last shot, just because I like it (from the morning session at Falmer Pond).

rat

Rat among the tree roots

Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 7D Mark II and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.

Also posted in Birds, rats Tagged , , |