London Wildlife

By Words | Published October 28, 2010

I'll begin tonight's blog with a photo of one of the less well regarded species that inhabits London's parks… I've seen these on an almost daily basis scuttling into the undergrowth. The regular park users seem to ignore them, even when they see them. Yes, it's a rat.

There are prettier animals around, and to balance the previous shot here's another small (but much prettier) animal, a long-tailed tit.

I also saw a pair of great crested grebes (the first time I've seen them in Regent's Park during my recent visits).

And herons… always herons. They are wonderful birds and it is an absolute pleasure to sit and watch them. This is a sequence of one moving a short distance from one tree to the next.


Nature Blog Network
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 40D and EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM lens.

This entry was posted in Birds, rats and tagged , , , .

12 Comments

  1. serola October 29, 2010 at 8:10 am #

    Oh yes, I have heard saying that if you see one rat it means there are hundreds of them somewhere around 😆

  2. gdare October 29, 2010 at 12:10 pm #

    :insane:

  3. SittingFox October 30, 2010 at 3:10 pm #

    I was out walking Khamsin last night when a huge rangy form with a hoarse voice and broad wings appeared out of the darkness. For a moment I thought we were under attack from the North Downs' last pterodactyl :yikes: but I suspect it was actually a late-flying heron!

    I have seen the odd rat in London. You have to respect their persistence!

  4. Ukwildlife October 30, 2010 at 8:10 pm #

    Nice photos. The GC grebes breed in the park so you'll probably see morw of them

  5. Words October 31, 2010 at 9:10 pm #

    Sami, that's what they say, but there are also a lot of myths about them. That said, I'm sure there are a lot in London.

  6. Words October 31, 2010 at 9:10 pm #

    Darko… LOL!

  7. Words October 31, 2010 at 9:10 pm #

    Erwin, thanks!

  8. Words October 31, 2010 at 9:10 pm #

    Adele, I'm sure herons are from another aeon. So strange to see them at home in the centre of a modern city, out of place and time. As for the rats, yes very persistent indeed.

  9. Words October 31, 2010 at 9:10 pm #

    Neil, thanks for that extra info on the grebes. I'm not surprised that it's a permanent home for them. I'm looking forward to springtime!

  10. Mickeyjoe-Irl October 31, 2010 at 11:10 pm #

    Supposedly you're within twenty feet of a rat in a major city. I always seem to see the running across the road when I'm driving. :yuck:

  11. Words November 1, 2010 at 9:11 pm #

    Mick, that's what they say, though I'm not sure I really believe it. The original 'statistic' dates back to the Victorian era and probably over estimates the rat population. But there are certainly plenty of them.

  12. Wulpen October 19, 2012 at 8:10 pm #

    Great the video clip of the heron