Wild Bird Wednesday 638 - Tuffted Duck

The Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) is a diving duck that is closely related to the Scaup. These pictures were taken at Slimbridge, a famous wildfowl reserve in Gloustershire, UK.

Tufted Ducks can always be found over much of the southern UK, but their numbers increase significantly during the winter.  The breeding population is about 16,000 pairs, but there may be as many as 120,000 individual birds present in the winter.  Interestingly, some of the UK breeding birds as themselves migratory, and spend the northern winter in Spain and Portugal.  This movement is most noticeable in cold winters in the UK. 

The individual in these pictures is a male.

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Wild BIrd Wednesday 637 - Two Birds of Prey.

The Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris) and the Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides) are two of Australis more common and widespread birds of prey.

Both can be seen on most days birding, and are often seen hovering about the grassy edges of freeways.  They are other the bird of prey you see while going to look for other birds.  As a result I think that they can be undervalued at times.

As you can see they are really rather good looking birds, and I think their ubiquity should not reduce how they are valued!

Anyway, both of these birds were hunting around the bushes and roadside edges of the Werribee Sewage works.  Although you can see it, the Nakeen Kestrel has a mouse (?) in its claws until it objected to my presence and flew off.  

The Black-shouldered Kite was just sitting and making occasional forays into the local area, until it too objected to my presence and felt off as well.

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Wild Bird Wednesday 636 - Great Tit

The Great Tit (Parus major) is a small passerine in the family Paridae. Members of this family are commonly referred to as "tits" throughout much of the English-speaking world, but North American species are called either "chickadees" or "titmice".

The Great Tit is widespread and common throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and east across the Palearctic to the Amur River, and south to parts of North Africa.

This species is generally found in any sort of woodland. It is also common in gardens, especially those with bird feeders.  It was probably one of the first birds I leant to identify many, many years ago.

This bird was photographed at the RSPB reserve at Ham Wall in Somerset in the UK.  British birds are known to have a wider dark line on the stomach than many other members of this species.

These pictures were taken in February this year, and I think you can see hints of early spring in some of the buds in the pictures.

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Wild Bird Wednesday 635 - Dusky Moorhen

The Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa) is a common medium-sized, dark grey-black water bird with a white undertail. It has a red bill with a yellow tip and a red facial shield. The Dusky Moorhen is found from Indonesia through New Guinea to Australia. It is widespread in eastern and south-western Australia, ranging from eastern South Australia and into the southern corner of Western Australia.

This bird was feeding on the lawns of the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.  I noticed it was picking and eating the daisies that flourish in the grass near the lakes.  It was all rather charming.

Sorry for not visiting blogs over the last couple of weeks. A mistaken, but thankfully not long term, return to the world of paid employment has kept me rather too busy for my liking.  Normal service will resume soon!

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Wild Bird Wednesday 634 - Paradise Shelduck

The Paradise Shelduck (Tadorna variegata) also known as the Paradise Duck, or Pūtangitangi in Māori, is a species of shelduck, a group of goose-like ducks, which is endemic to New Zealand. 

This bird is common and is found over most of New Zealand. The female bird has a white head, and the male is a much darker bird.  Individuals weigh between 1.4 and 1.7 kg and are about 65cm in length.   Paradise Shelducks mate for life and usually live as pairs.  These birds, which I take to be a bounded pair, were on the beach at Oban on Stewart Island. This species is largely herbivorous, and mostly graze on pasture grasses and clover, but have been observed eating a wide range of invertebrates.

Both of these birds were drinking and washing in a small stream (or possibly stormwater drain) that was flowing over the beach.

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Wild Bird Wednesday 633 - Kererū

The Kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) is also known as the New Zealand Pigeon or the New Zealand Wood Pigeon. A large, conspicuous pigeon that is endemic to NZ. It is up to 50 cm in length and between 550–850 g in weight, with a white breast and iridescent green–blue plumage.  It's a magnificent bird to see.  And thankfully it's also reasonably common in NZ.

This is a species that is expanding its population in NZ after a significant reduction in population. Given it's 'family meal' size I'm more than a little surprised that it survived the vagaries of first people arrival and later European colonisation - but thankfully it did!  

The pairs of birds are monogamous, and where you find one bird you will often find another.

These pictures were taken at various location around North and South Island. 

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