A waterside walk, and lots of feathers!
Although we like walking and thoroughly enjoy watching the wildlife where ever we go we wouldn't call ourselves experts. However, now and again, we stop and stare and try to name what we are looking at.
A walk at Clumber Park found us strolling along the causeway at the bottom of the lake near dusk just watching the birds. Majestic mute swans gliding along, a few still with a little of their brown 'baby plumage' left. The usual crowd of gulls circling around looking for food, and quite a lot of mallards.
Looking further we also spotted coots, moorhens and a pair of tufted duck. There were also a couple of other feathered swimmers we had to get our 'bird app' out to identify. The ones with a long neck and beak, and a tufty head turned out to be great crested grebe; and the ones that looked like mallard but were brown, cream and white we think were wigeon.
But what really caught our attention were the 'squadrons' of both Canada and greylag geese. To start with they were just floating on the water in little groups, then they'd start calling to each other and wings would start to flap as a group gathered to take off and circle round in formation before flying off across towards the fields, presumably to roost for the night, still 'hronking' (research has revealed that the gander begins the calls to assemble the family for flight. Dr. Cooper, writing in 'wildfowl magazine international' refers to the contact calls as the "Here I am, where are you?" calls. While they are in the air geese call to each other to help keep the family, and especially the juveniles, together. When the family flies it forms a line or a "V" and the birds call to each other to keep in contact. When the family joins other families in a subflock the family usually flies in a straight line with the gander at the front.)
Ten different species - and that was just the water birds!
