A visit to Rainham Marshes.Always good to see Marsh harrier but the interest of the day was the Crow and its antics. You have to give them credit for knowing that dropping and egg from a great height will usually end up with them getting a meal. However, when that egg is a golf ball and it doesn't break in over a dozen drops onto assorted surfaces, you have to think this Corvid wasn't top of his class.
Mallard and Lapwing
Wigeon
Shoveler and Pintail
Lapwing
Spoonbill
Marsh Harrier
Shoveler
Drake Pochard
Female Tufted duck
Drake Tufted Duck
Drake Teal
Little Grebe
Black tailed Godwit
Drake Wigeon
Drake gadwall
Drake Gadwall
Coot
Curlew
Female Shoveler
Little Egret
Crow and Golf Ball
Shelduck
That looked another good day out, and the crow with the golf ball, dropping it and then catching it, not only brilliant work by the crow, but yourself. Nice work.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
Lot to learn
gaynorsl said:I do enjoy seeing the Lapwing, such fabulous colours. Even your Shoveler and Shellduck are superb though when I think of what I see through the lens!!!! Of course my favourite has to be the Little Grebe, thanks Bob for putting such a lovely pic on. O'h, did the Marsh Harrier take any of the birds? I thought they were a little complacent sitting on the water while being patrolled by the swooping MH.
I didn't see the marsh harriers catch anything off the water though one dived. into the reeds and didn't come back out.
Kind regards, Ann
Unknown said:Lovely photos, Bob, and thanks for posting. And were you on an excursion or are you moving back to the south?! We are fans of Rainham Marshes, but we have not been there in far too long.
An excursion - my wife has a sister lives not far from Gatwick and they were both going out to see her other sister in Fuerteventura for a week so it made sense for them to travel out together from the same airport so we chose Gatwick. I drove her down and on my return visit called at Rainham and then overnighted at Leiston and did Minsmere then home. Was going ti do Bempton or somewhere the following day but the weather was against it.
Apart from holidays I think we are "home" to stay
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.