The boys are back in town

Yo doods  haven’t posted for a while, so here’s a few smudges for your delectation  A Bewick’s swan doing the okey kokey, a bufflehead drake having a good look around and showing off to the ladies. A gorgeous lady mallard stretching her wings. A baby duckling recently hatched and testing the water.A beautiful (mind you, to me they are all beautiful) Northern Pintail duck. A red-crested Pochard drake. The same oiseaux also showing off to the ladies. Finally, a tufted drake having a giraffe  I promise I’ll post again shortly   xx i Jedi de Q

Despite the gloom…

Yo Doodsters   Despite the lugubrious overcast weather this morning I girdled my loincloth and ventured fifth to the Wetlands.  I took the Nikon Wedgwood Benn’s because of the larger glass which works whatever the visibility.   I do like my longer reach lenses but they do slow up when the current bun takes his titfer off. I was rewarded with a front on shot of the Southern Crested Screamer. You know I luvs a full frontal smudgerooney.  Doesn’t he look like he’s got the hump?

I managed a smudge of a handsome smew drake and also a ferruginous duck doing the Okey Kokey

A shoveler drake flew into the Wildside (beyond the collections) and I Barnaby Rudge’d him doing a sneaky ‘duck & diving’ for your delectation.

Before I left the reserve I couldn’t resist taking this Bewick swan’s portrait (for my portrait gallery) I know I’ve posted Bewicks’ often, but who can resist this beauticious creature?

hasta la pasta doodsters    xx   i Jedi de Q

I Luvs a Mallard

Yo Doods      No birding today as I had chores to do. Mind you, the weather was really iffy when I awoke this morning with nil visibility. Would you Adam & Eve’Oh it, the old current’s just come out with his titfer on.  Oh well dudes, here’s a little gallery of portraits I smudged yesterday.  I was happy to take pictures of Mr & Mrs Mallard who people overlook because they’re so common (“A Handbag!!!”) Close up they’re gorgeous.  Mrs Mallard has long been one of my favourite oiseaux with much more bottle than the drake.

The other wuzzo are white-winged duck (not sure what sex?) a Rajah Shelduck (not crisp, he moved just as I clicked, sorry) a haughty Bewick’s Swan and a golden eye lady. I always recommend you double click on a photo’ (cocko dicko), but perhaps not the shelduck and goldeneye.

Hasta la pasta     xxx      i Jedi d’Kwack

Doing the Okey Kokey

Terpsichorean Bewick’s beauties

Yo Doodlepips  A glorious morning was spent perambulating those bucolic byways of Barnes bird reserve. The old current was out at last with clear blue Kensal Rise.  Not a girls aloud to be seen. The two Bewick’s swans were going a bit nutty whizzing around their pool doing the hokey kokey.  My drears, it was like being at the Royal Opera House during a performance of  Anthony Dowell’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Monty Don’s Lake.

 

A sweet little bufflehead was enjoying itself posing by the side of a little pool watching the canvasbacks and American wood ducks luxuriating and splashing about in the morning sunshine. I do hope we have the extended summer that the weather forecasters are promising despite it being the beginning of Autumn.

Carrying on missus, I was pleased to get a smudge of a stiff-tail, the white-headed duck. Mind you, I’m not sure about the cull on the poor old North American ruddy duck just because they’ve been taking amorous liberties with the Spanish white-heads. Apparently there’s only 500 ruddies left in Britain. Who’d have thought it, when I started birding there were faaarsands of ’em. Now they’re rarities!  In the same pool as the white-bonks were one of my favourite wuzzoes, the pulchritudinous ferruginous ducks and I managed a Barnaby Rudge of this handsome devil.

hasta la pasta machacharooneys        x  i Jah de Jedi, Earl of Mustard

 

Bird Portraits

Yo Dooderooneys  Didn’t go birding today as I had boring chores to do. I’ve made so many trips to Peter Jones that the store’s Billy Bunter’s (punters) must think I’m staff! What a wonderful emporium PJ’s is, luckily it’s at the end of the King’s Strada just a stone’s heave from my frog. Anyways, here’s a few wuzzoe head shots taken yesterday morning. I’m not sure if the whistling lady luck is an Eastern or Western Indian one?

The Egyptian goose is one that’s just muscled in to one of the collection pools at the WWT reserve much to the chagrin of the resident Bewick’s Monty Don’s. It’s quite interesting vadering the inside of its north and south. In fact, he intrigued me so much I’m giving you two Barnaby Rudge’s

Just before I left the reserve I captured a smudge of this handsome canvasback drake lurking amongst the reeds 

Hasta la pasta machacharooneys     x i Jedi d’Quackster

Through the looking glass

Hello Peeps    Didn’t fancy schlepping the big Wedgewood Benn’s and gimble this morning so travelled to the wetlands by Rubic and Uncle Gus with lighter kit.  It was a strange morning, not too cloudy but fortunately the old Frankie Laine stayed away. Mind you, it did come down when I arrived home though.  I took a few portraits of the wondrous collection in their different territories, but ended up in the last post, the wildlife hide at the far reach of the reserve (WWT Barnes).  I made myself comfortable sitting by the window that looks onto a small lake. There were quite a few varieties of wuzzoe including shovelers, great crested grebes, grey herons and many different ducks. By the side of my seat is a fixed window that overlooks a large hanging bird feeder. While I was there, a couple of birders came in, and after a couple of minutes left grumbling that there was nothing to see? What did they expect a fluffing golden eagle?  Peeps, there’s always something exciting to see and photograph,  I spotted a little sedge warbler lurking in the tree above the feeder. I managed to snatch a smudge through the rather grubby and spotted window before the warbler landed on the feeder. A Barnaby of a bird at a feeder is a definite NO NO!  A minute later a saucy Emperor dragonfly whizzed in front of the hide and I managed another ‘snatched’ smudge.  A little wuzzoe was singing its strawberry tart out just above my head and I was pleased to capture this little robin juv.  Nothing to see indeed, there’s always something, innit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant, but wallies like those two do irritate.  Incidentally, on the way out I took a portrait of a handsome Bewick’s swan  for my portrait collection.  Hasta la pasta machachas       x i Jedi de Quack

 

Bank Holiday Posing

Yo Peeps   According to the Met forecast it was going to be Frankie Laine’ing. Dutifully I put on a rainproof nanny goat and left for Barnes. I took the kipper as I didn’t fancy the Rubic on a Bank Holiday, especially with the tourists whirling around South Kensington Station.  Well my drears, when I arrived at the reserve it was schvitzing so I left the nanny in the kipper. Early in the morning at Barnes is a delight as there aren’t too many Billy Bunters (especially the terrifying buggy pushing mommas.)  Anyways, all the wuzzoes were up to having their pictures smudged, giving it plenty in the posing department. I managed a barnacle boyo, a pink footed old mother and a Bewick’s Monty Don. They could have been posing for Harper’s Bazaar wearing a Vivian Westward Ho ho ho dress, innit.  As I was leaving a noticed a little pied wagtail whizzing along the water’s edge snatching up insects. Here’s a Barnaby of a greedy little beast with an enormous fly/hornet? in it’s little north & south.

Hasta la pasta chumerooneys          x  i Jah de KwaKwa

 

Marbled Teal losing his marbles

Hello Mateys   It was very muggy when I arose this morning so decided to let the train take the strain!  Leaving the kipper at home I took Shank’s Pony up the frog to South Ken and jumped on a Rubic’s Cube to Hammersmith.  What a treat, the old Uncle Gus was waiting to take me straight to the Wetlands, and you could tell it was my bus by the lady lucks decorating the sides.

On arrival I couldn’t help myself but had to do another portrait of a Bewick’s Monty Don who was posing close to the entrance. I know I’ve shown a Bewick’s before but I luvs ’em. I shot the Monty as if I was ‘doing’ a Vogue cover.

Another treat was the outrageous magpie geese. I enclose a smudgerooney for your delectation. Carrying on my perambulation around the winding paths of the reserve I came upon a marbled teal whizzing up and down and around a small scrape. I felt sorry for the little bird as I noticed one wing had been clipped when he tried to fly off. You can see the missing primaries in the Barnaby i took. I carried on to the Peacock hide and noticed an unusual large number of Canada geese.  Apparently they had been gathering in a field close to the reserve, but today was a children’s sport thingy so they had sensible removed to the safety of the WWT! Here’s a picture of the old mother’s.   Ta ta for now   x  i Jah de Quack