The second day of the Winter

Flying Gadwall. MAE©2011

Truth be told: it did not feel like Winter at all today. The sun was bright and almost warm and the temperature was in double figures. It was a good day to visit London Wetland Centre (LWC) once again. And there was some more good news: during weekdays there are much less people fighting for a window in the hides.


The first thing I saw once I opened a window in Dulverton Hide was a Gadwall starting to land. I have never seen one flying before so that was already a nice surprise. He met up with his wife and they paraded in front of me after his landing. A Gadwall is called in Dutch: Krakeend and the Latin name is Anas Strepera. Much less colourful than the Mallard duck, but still a cracker.

Some Wigeons enjoying the sun. MAE©2011

Further away, there were a lot of Wigeons to be seen. These funny ducks do swim, but they find their food ashore, as they did this afternoon. Not disturbed by the always available seagulls, they found the sun very pleasant as well. They do have funny faces, especially with the rebellious light brown stripe on their head. They have now taken residence in almost all the little lakes of the LWC, as can be seen on my FlickRiver page. This duck is called Smient in Dutch and the Latin name is: Anas Penelope.

Comorant showing off. MAE©2011

Whenever there is water (and fish), you can see a Cormorant around. An almost pre-historic bird that likes to show off. They fly in, dive for food and flap their wings to dry before flying off again. They take no notice of any bird around them, nor does anyone take notice of them. A Cormorant is known in Dutch as an Aalscholver and the Latin name is: Phalacrocorax Carbo.


Finally, I should talk about the very uncommon and beautiful Common Teal. This morning the wardens of LWC went out early with their cans of feather paint to give them a once-over before the visitors arrived. Because I can still not believe that these ducks have natural coloured feathers. The green they have in their face is as beautiful as the green of a normal Mallard duck. And they are at peace with each other as the last picture below shows. A Common Teal is called a Wintertaling in Dutch and an Anas Crecca in Latin. Oh, I almost forgot: a Mallard Duck is called Wilde Eend in Dutch and the Latin name is: Anas Plathyrhynchos.

Mallards and Teals. MAE©2011