Around the Southcote Meadows and Kennet Canal, to the SW of Reading, UK.
Feral Parakeet (there was at least four of them); Grey Heron; Wren
Common Jay; Cormorant; Two Gadwalls, I think
Another Gadwall; Coot surfacing and Roe Deer
I’ve neither seen Parakeets (possibly Rose-ringed) or Gadwalls before, at least not to photo in the wild, and on the Gadwalls I’m open to correction.
OK, so a Roe Dee is not a bird, so this pack is wildly off-topic - sorry!
Canon R5 MkII + RF200-800mm lens
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What a productive day of birding! I don’t live in the UK, so I’m surprised by the parakeets and gadwalls:)
They (the parakeets) are feral populations, the winters have gotten so mild that they now have established populations all over Europe, mostly in big cities in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. They’re invasive and actually cause damage to local populations of bats, woodpeckers and nuthatches through competition for nesting- and sleeping spaces.
Yup, that’s a couple of gadwalls for sure, left one is a female. Lovely photos, and if you’d have told me you took these in the western part of the Netherlands I’d also believe it. We have all the birds, only the parakeet hasn’t migrated further inland than Utrecht yet.
Gadwalls are apparently both resident and winter visitors in various places in the UK (he says, repeating back a book).
Parakeets are recent-ish (1950’s or later) escapees/releases who have managed to start breeding in the UK - London especially - and are something of a worry to conservationists. Occasionally the subject of amused news reports, so I wasn’t completely shocked.
