England – London Wetland Centre [2]

Sutton, 19 Jun 2009

My wife and I are in the UK again visiting family, so after my very enjoyable visit there during our UK trip last year I again spent a day at the London Wetland Centre.

Some of the native species seen included Great Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, European Greenfinch and Dunnock at bird feeders, Long-tailed Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Magpie, European Robin, Common Blackbird and Common Wood Pigeon in the woodland and Common Redshank, Great Crested Grebe, Mute Swan, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Coot and Common Ringed Plover in the wetland areas. Like last year there were dozens of Sand Martin swooping low over the wetland catching insects to take back to their nesting boxes for their greedy youngsters. This is now a well-established and important summer breeding site for the Sand Martin. Rose-ringed Parakeet were easily seen due to their unmistakable squawking in flight.

As for the captive species I managed many more photos than last year, including Red-breasted Goose, Magpie Goose, Nene, Maned Duck, Black-bellied Whistling Duck,  Rosy-billed Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, White-headed Duck, White-winged Duck, Laysan Duck, Common Eider, Smew, Common Goldeneye, Ringed Teal, Hooded Merganser, Red Shoveler, American Wigeon, Chiloe Wigeon and Demoiselle Crane.