I love Christchurch Park. Ipswich, nowadays, is a pretty big town - I'm sure there are a good number of smaller cities - so to find a huge, sprawling expanse of green like Christchurch Park near the centre of it is an enormous pleasure, and one of the best things about the town. Limpy and I found ourselves at a loose end earlier today so we decided to see what was about:
A welcoming pigeon!
A female blackbird near the wilderness pond.
Something I don't see very often - a magpie having a thorough bath.
All done!
This cormorant looks comfortable posing on one leg.
A Canada goose enjoys a preen.
A robin checks out the passers by. It later transpired that it was looking for the bloke who regularly feeds it!
The grey squirrel population have utterly mastered the art of posing.
A very dubious look!
Mrs Mandarin.......
......and the hubby.
This crow presented me with a problem. Which is his best side? This one......
....or this one? He's stunning, either way.
I'm not even going to ask.
A pretty moorhen.
A robin about to go up in the world!
A black-headed gull getting stuck into those feathers. In a month or so, the black head will be making a comeback.
The lovely goosander pair are still with us.
I love seeing birds effortlessly balancing on one leg. Especially the big ones!
Never mind the geese, here comes Mr Mallard.
To finish, one of a few redwings who landed on the grass en masse.
Enjoy, as always.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
A super set of pics from a really nice walk around, I'm sure! Is it a big park, then? Plenty of birdlife.
(I want to take the robin and mallard home with me....)
Lindybird said:Is it a big park, then?
Lindybird said:I want to take the robin and mallard home with me....
What a lovely area Clare offering a good range of species. I particularly like the Goosanders as I don't see them that often but you can tell that Cyril he's to stay in Suffolk as Cheshire border is closed lol Great photos of them all including the strange looking Mallard !
_____________________________________
Regards, Hazel
More lovely pics. I would have been taken to Christchurch Park in the late 60's/early 70's (assuming it's the same park). My Mum's family being from the Wherstead area. Your Pigeon is actually a Stock Dove. Very pretty. I hope your Robin isn't waiting for me to feed him lol
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
Unknown said:I would have been taken to Christchurch Park in the late 60's/early 70's (assuming it's the same park).
Unknown said:Your Pigeon is actually a Stock Dove. Very pretty.
Unknown said:I hope your Robin isn't waiting for me to feed him lol
It's the one in the town centre. The family moved from Wherstead and spread out to Brantham, Tattingstone, Bentley and Belstead amongst other places.
Definitely Christchurch Park, then. I grew up near Ipswich town centre and the park was an easy walk away, and was visited frequently!