Have you missed me?

Yo Peeps  Sorry I haven’t posted for a while, so here’s a few smudges for your delectation.  A Southern crested screamer, Coot baby, Falcated drake, Hooded merganser drake, Lesser white-fronted goose, Mandarin drake, Northern pintail drake and a Smew drake  I’ll post a few more tomorrow.  tooty frooty i Jedi de Quack

View from the Uncle Gus

Yo peepsters  I decided on the Rubic Cube and Uncle Gus for my sojourn to the wetlands this morning. There was a bit of ice and slush on the frog and toad so didn’t fancy kippering it! Good job I ‘bussed it’ today, it looks like the bus drivers are going on strike in London tomorrow. Despite the freezy coldy the current bun had got his hat on and it was very pleasant. I even managed a shot (on my iPhone) from the bus (sorry about the dirty windows) of the River Thames as I crossed Hammersmith Bridge

Arriving at Barnes WWT I took another shot of the mandarin drake who looks much sleeker than my last post because he’d just swum up from beneath the Neptune’s daughter

My favourite wuzzoe, the comb drake or knob-billed duck if you prefer, was doing the okey kokey to impress the ladies. I loved the iridescent sheen on his wings

My next stop was the pool with the screamers in, although it was a bit  ‘taters in the mould’ for them to be too vociferous

The rest of the morning I spent doing headshots for my portrait gallery. For your delectation I include a spot-billed duck, a pretty mandarin duck and a very elegant black swan peering round his partner’s Gregory Peck!

Until the next time machachas     xx  i Jedi de Quack

slipping & sliding, groovin’ and gliding

Hi peepsters   Had a jolly morning yesterday despite it being a bit Harry & Billy. I drove to the Wetland’s where I was joined by his nibs, Lord Moffo of Twickershire. There was a lot of ice on the water but the current bun was shining, which made for good photography. It was amusing to watch this coot slipping across a pond, but those big old plates of meat are up for the task!

First port of call was the smew pond where I captured this handsome smew drake posing for the ladies (look at that Tony Curtis quiff)

Moving on to the next strip of water I ‘smudged’ a handsome canvasback drake ‘giving it plenty’ He looks like he’s doing that ‘deckchair song!

The next photograph is of a red-crested pochard having a jolly good stretch. In the same pond was a ferruginous drake balancing on the ice and enjoying the sunshine. Bless!

My last shot is of this mandarin drake enjoying the morning sun. I know I post a lot of smudges of this flamboyant lady luck, but who can resist when they look this gorgeous?

Until the next time my friends    tooty frooty  xx i Jedi de Quack

One headshot, one poser and 3 doobleys

Yo Peeps    As the weather was quite pleasant this morning I left the kipper at the kerb again and Shank’s mule’d it to South Ken Williams station for the Rubic. There was a problem with the District Line so I escalated down into the bowels of the station to the Piccadilly Line which fortunately also goes to Hammersmithsonian.  There was a lot of sirens and similar cacaphonic perturbations which made me wonder if there was something unpleasant going on, but the trusty old duck Uncle Gus (283) turned up safely taking Yours T to the delights of the Wetland bird reserve.  I was pleased to get another portrait smudge of a Laysan teal rarity which shares a pond with the Hawaiian geese which I present for your delectation. I’m not sure which is the Arthur and which is the Martha if you look at the last Laysan teal I posted yesterday (Portraiture)  I have a feeling today’s wuzzoe is the drake?

At another pool I noticed a mandarin drake striking a rather fetching glamour pose which I hereby present to my discerning blogpeeps (spellcheck tried to make that BLOWPIPES)

On further bucolic perambulated meanderings I took dooblay smudges of American wood drakes, pink-footed geese and pintails.    Hasta la pasta blowpipes    x    i Jedi Dr Quack

Lovely deuce & aces*

Yo peeps   It’s more chores today (you know it makes sense) so I’m furnishing you (not in the John Lewis way) with portraits of wuzzoes taken during the last couple of visits to the Wetlands (Barnes WWT).  It helps if you double click on a picture to get more detail.

Hasta la pasta peepsters    xx    i Jah de Quack

* deuce & aces = faces

Shank’s Pony (and the birds too)

Yo peeps   Astonishingly, despite Frankie Laine all night long, the old current was out in force with bright blue apple pies from 9 onwards!  I decided to go Shank’s so left the kipper at the kerb as I strolled to South Kenneth Williams and the Rubic Cube.  Hopped on the Uncle Gus at Hammersmith and travelled to the Wetlands. The Thames was beautiful with the sun shining across the mudflats as the tide was out as I crossed Hammersmith Bridge.  Keeping to the theme of walking (Shank’s Pony) here’s three wuzzoes taking perambulation around their enclosures (not the moorhen though, as they please themselves where they visit)

Because of the magnificent light this morning I was able to indulge in my water effect smudges. Incidentally, if you double click on them you’ll find more detail for your delectation.

Until the next time, I remain your left and my right        x  i Jedi de Quackerbarrel

Face Off

Yo Peeps   Sorry, haven’t been bloggin’ for a couple of days as my computer has been playing up. I upgraded my Mac to the new Yosemite system.  Oooer Mavis, what a mistake. I can’t be told. It cocked up my stuff for days. Despite cursing, crying and thumpin’ the fluffing thing I couldn’t bring up my bloggysite.  Funnily enough, after a trip to Heathrow to pick up my daughter Daisy then taking her to Kent where I stayed overnight, on my return my Maceroon seems to be firing on all cylinders again! Perhaps the dear thing needed a rest? Anyways peeps I’ll leave you with a few headshots taken Saturday at Barnes WWT. Incidentally, as I was leaving the reserve I spotted (and smudged) a strange looking magpie having a barney with a tough old pigeon over the grub in the domestic lady lucks little pond. The smudge of the Indian running duck was taken as he (her?) was disdainfully looking down a rather impressive proboscis at the two arguing scavengers!    as always, with kindest rhubarbs    x i Jedi d’Kwack

Grey Evita Peron and Lillian Gish

Yo Doodlebugs   Shank’s again this morn, and off to Barnes wetlands.  Rubic and Uncle.  The weather is still holding good and the old current was laying a few Johnny Ray’s on the boulevards de Barnes. My first smudge was a rather nice black-bellied whistling duck minding his own business despite an influx of bad mannered mallard drakes trying to nick the whistlers tucker.

I was pleased to see a trio of mandarin drakes had turned up and i furnish you with a Barnaby of one handsome devil.

Now peeps, for a long while I’ve been after a smudgerooney of the elusive great-crested grebe, but I captured him from the wildlife hide when he ventured close to where I was waiting (holding my breath and hoping no saucepan lids would come running noisily in). In fact I was so chuffed I also smudged a headshot for my Rogues Gallery

Actually playmates, it was rather a fruitful morning. As I was leaving (and anticipating a Fat Boy of Peckham hot chocolate at the riverside restaurant) I noticed a couple of peeps peering into the side of a pool where  long reeds swayed. Lo and behold Mr Pickwick, there was a sneaky grey Evita Peron lurking surreptitiously in the foliage.  He suddenly lunged and came up with a large Lillian Gish in its Gormenghastly Mervyn Peake. And here’s the evidence M’Lord.

Oh wot larks Pip, until domani peepsters I bid you adieu   x  i Jah de Kwackers