Bird Watching

The Thames is amazing for birds. Apart from the wrens, robins and thrushes that shout from the marginal hedgerows and trees there are many many birds that I would not include as being indiginous species. Parakeets abound. On the water there are mandarin ducks, egyptian geese and even a black swan on her nest on Goose Island near Molesey.

I always thought of grebes as being lake birds but the great crested grebe is very common along here. More common are swans. I counted over 110 in one view at Chertsey.

One other bird that was note worthy was a peregrine falcon darting and weaving over the river at Windsor. I wondered whether they nest on the castle tower. An ideal spot I would say. Other raptors spotted were sparrowhawk and buzzard.

A sandpiper walked the banks yesterday morning. A nice little bird that isn't often seen.

There was a stack of sand martin nests near one lock but the birds were absent. We have seen house martins and swallows picking off the thousands of caddis fly that are emerging from the water at the moment. One such fly hitched a lift on the boat. I tried to get a photo but it flew as the shutter clicked. This one came aboard later.