Ruislip Lido

I had one of my many walks around Ruislip Lido today. When I returned home I realised I never wrote about it in my blog. And that is not fair, since it is a very pretty little pond with a cute steam train running around it. Apart from the usual swans and ducks you would find in such urban nature reserves, I have come across some other interesting birds as well. I also came across birds doing interesting things, such as this Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus Ridibundus), diving for something.

Originally opened as a feeder reservoir for the Grand Junction Canal in 1811, the reservoir was reopened in 1933 as a lido, with facilities for swimming and boating. A narrow gauge railway, the Ruislip Lido Railway was opened in 1945, and now runs about two thirds of the distance around the reservoir.

Having fallen into a state of disrepair during the 1970s and 1980s, the lido has since undergone renewal works, and was the subject of an enhancement project unveiled by the London Borough of Hillingdon in January 2010. The project involved the return of boating and swimming in the reservoir, which had previously not been possible due to pollution and an artificially low water level (Source: Wikipedia).

In this blog I will take you along on the various journeys I had around the Lido and show what I saw. Mostly beautiful and often surprising. But always a joy of variation and difference.

 

 

Their must be enough fish in the Lido, because you often see Common Terns (Sterna Hirundo) fly above it…and dive for some food!

 

My favourite duck, the Tufted Duck (Aythya Fuligula) is a permanent resident…and there are quite a few around. They normally swim against the main stream because they don’t care for the offered bread that the spectators bring along. I did see one once ashore, which is not often seen.

Lately I have seen more and more Gadwalls (Anas Strepera) at the Lido. They seem to feel at home between the normal residents and since they are non migratory, they are here to stay.

This winter I came across some unexpected visitors: the Little Egret (Egretta Garzetta) and the Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla Flava). They were not frightened off by the snow and the cold weather.

And there are of course many, many Muted Swans (Cygnus Olor), Mallard Ducks (Anas Platyrhynchos) and Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis) in the water and ashore throughout the year. They are very common in these sort of places. But I would like to finish with a picture of a large group of Shoveler Ducks (Anas Clypeata) that I saw in the winter of 2012. That was a real treat! It is always a privilege to see the water birds at the Ruislip Lido. I hope you enjoyed this introduction. Come and have look…