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Tuesday, 8 December 2020

Wild Bird Wednesday 437 - Eurasian Coot

There are a few small ponds near my house - and I like to keep an eye on what is happening on them.  Of course, lock down made that rather difficult.  During a recent (post lockdown!) trip out I found this family of Eurasian Coots (Fulica atra) occupying the bank-side grass.

The chicks are delightfully ugly - with punk hair styles and huge feet!

I think that the pale tip on the beak is an "egg tooth" which would suggest that these little ones had not long come out of the shell.  

The birds seem to be benefiting from the scraps from the numerous picnics that were going on around the edge of the pond.






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Stay safe and enjoy.  SM



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14 comments:

  1. Margaret Birding For Pleasure8 December 2020 at 18:35

    Lovely photos Stewart but i think the chick of the Coot is very ugly. One a mother could only love! Thanks for hosting, stay safe and have a good week ahead.

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  2. Fun608 December 2020 at 20:09

    The last photo is my favourite. Hope you are managing to get out and about safely. Take care.

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  3. David M. Gascoigne,8 December 2020 at 22:20

    I could say that it took one old coot to find another, but that might be considered rude, unkind to the feathered version even, so I will refrain from saying it!

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  4. Yamini MacLean8 December 2020 at 22:56

    Hari Om
    Cute is cute, even in punk terms! YAM xx

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  5. Rhodesia8 December 2020 at 23:38

    So very cute, love these photos. Keep safe, Diane

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  6. Marie Smith9 December 2020 at 04:59

    These are great. The chicks are adorable in their own way...

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  7. Kenneth Cole Schneider9 December 2020 at 06:41

    Mamma is taking good care of that little punk! Bread is not very nutritious but coots can find plenty of protein down in the lake.

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  8. jp@A Green Ridge9 December 2020 at 08:10

    Awwwww....a baby!!! Stewart, that was the highlight of my day...thank YOU...:)jp

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  9. Lea9 December 2020 at 21:57

    Like the Coots we have here in the US, it is the huge feet that are astonishing.
    Great photos!

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  10. Duwan @MakeLikeAnApeman10 December 2020 at 04:18

    Love the Coots! I saw a mother and her two chicks in a pond in Idaho this past summer. The mother was so doting. The chicks are cute and at the same time amazingly ugly. Great pics!

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  11. Linda10 December 2020 at 14:50

    How delightful it is to see the parent feeding the babies!

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  12. waldlaeufer68 Frank Scholtyssek13 December 2020 at 20:09

    Hello Stewart
    very cute to look at that the parents lovingly take care of the offspring, very nice
    stay healthy
    Greetings Frank

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  13. Wally Jones14 December 2020 at 04:36

    Great photographs, Stewart!
    Love the big feet of the coot. The little ones will soon grow into handsome birds, just like Mom and Dad.

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  14. Ludmiła Jabłońska7 January 2021 at 07:50

    Cudne! Jaka piękna scena!

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