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Black Swans and Rats

Escaped ornamentals can be a problem to identify but that wasn't the case with the black swan that I saw on Stockers Lake today. I almost missed it as it seems to spend far more time with its head down than a mute swan.

Apart from that a walk around the lakes at Rickmansworth produced nothing exciting in terms of unusual species. There were plenty of tufties, pochard, coot, mallard, mute swans, cormorants and gadwall as well as a solitary shoveller. I passed a heron very close to the path who seemed quite unconcerned about my presence and was also lucky enough to see a great crested grebe swallowing a fish. Undergrowth had been cleared from some of the islands and one seemed to be full of lapwings.

There are bird feeders by a couple of hides which were getting attention from blue and great tits and one also had a party of rats feeding on the discarded seeds underneath. Judging by the sizes I would guess a family party of two adults and two juveniles.

On the wooded part of the walk a wren provided a little variety from the robins which seemed to pop up every dozen yards or so.

Back home the long tailed tits haven't returned to the garden but I did see a flock by Latimer church as I drove home. The garden feeders are getting a lot of attention from the starlings now while the tits are coming to the feeder in the front garden but I have yet to see them in the back.
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