Monday 6 May 2019

Unusual Suspects at Pensthorpe


A rather striking shelduck
 To save you from looking at that Star Trek stuff in the last post for too long, I have thoughtfully sorted out some photos from Thursday's trip back to Pensthorpe.  Yes, I was dragged back there by Inexcuseable, with Count Podgekinson in tow, for a lovely family day out.
 It was OK, I suppose...

A mallard couple

Moorhen


A beautiful little mandarin pair

Tufted duck

A coot couple with their rather less than cute offspring

Barnacle goose

Greylag geese

Greylag goslings

These mallard ducklings kept following Count Podgekinson around - even when he didn't have any food

This mum's got her work cut out for her

Canada goose (I couldn't tell if it was wearing stripy tights)

Pintail

I don't know what this unusual looking duck is called Mitzi has helped to identify this as a knob-billed duck
Thank heavens for her extensive knowledge of knobs!

Let's have some tranquil scenes now, as there's mayhem coming up...






Yaaaarrrrgh!  Feeding time!

Count Podgekinson was standing on the bridge flinging duck food around with wild abandon!




To finish off, here's a pair of black-headed gulls posturing and squawking at each other.

15 comments:

  1. Oh, I think the coot offspring are quite cute. And fairly queer...

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  2. I do like a duck. But Moorhens are my favourites, there is something very gentle about them.
    Do you think the duck with the lumpy beak has some sort of genetic mutation, or is he supposed to look like that?
    Sx

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    1. Moorhens are certainly a lot less raucous than coots. I like them, too.

      I think Lumpy Beak is supposed to look like that. Here comes Mitzi with her knowledge of knobs:

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  3. It's his basal knob Scarlet *pauses to reflect on knob* usually prominent in male dominant birds, geese and swans can have them too.

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    Replies
    1. He has a very big knob, Mitzi.
      Sx

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    2. Ooh, a basal knob! That's what it is. Thanks, Mitzi.
      And with that knowledge, I have now identified it as - funnily enough - a knob-billed (or African comb) duck!

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  4. I really is ama,ing how simlair are lakes are. You trails look very much like my post last week. I really love the marndrian couple and that barnacle goose. Watching babies chicks are so fun, with those tiny nub of wings. But I'm surprised Scarlett was upset that there weren't any komorants?

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    1. When I stopped to take that photo of the trail through the trees, I thought of both you and Ms Scarlet. You, because it was similar to your photo, and Ms Scarlet because she posted one of fresh green leaves over-hanging a Devon (muddy) lane.
      I don't know what's going on with the cormorants - I haven't seen any since February. And that was in the city (Norwich)!

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  5. Replies
    1. Are you talking to the black-headed gulls, Mr Mago? Or just gawking?

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  6. I knew a chap called Basil. He was a bit of a knob-head, too.

    Thank you for the picture my avatar's cousin.

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    1. I bet he wasn't as good-looking as the knob-head up there ^

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  7. Replies
    1. Oh, dear. Is having geese and/or swans looking at you better or worse?

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