The Black-headed Gulls are displaying noisily all over the islands, arguing with each other and the jackdaws.
There are still some numbers of wintering ducks, particularly Wigeon, of which there are still hundreds. I wonder where they all go in the summer. There were about a dozen Pintail who were spending much of their time upending, and a few Teal and Mallard in the distance. There were dozens of Pochard, mainly male of course, females having travelled further South. Tufted Duck were widely distributed across all of the pools.
The Goldeneye are the most interesting duck to me, because of their relative rarity and delicate beauty. The males and females seem to be more closely associated with each other now, either in pairs or triads. The first pair I saw were apparently together. The female was almost apparently comatose, with its neck and head extended out forwards to sit flat on the water. This is called the prone-posture, and is sometimes referred to as a form of inciting. It is understood as a prelude to mating, and is generally seen from February onwards on the wintering grounds, both when the birds are first in groups and then as the birds pair up, and then later when the birds are fully and "permanently" paired up on the breeding grounds. This stillness was very striking and long-lasting lasting several minutes (the record is about 30 minutes I believe), and is referred to in BWP in the section on copulation behaviour, although the male in this case was not apparently adding the full range of other typical behaviours, and the sequence of events finished with another female joining the pair, and then the individuals diving individually. The male was moving around in front or almost circling the female, quite close, perhaps within the 60 cm mentioned in BWP, displaying by vigorously throwing its head backwards, although too far away to hear if it was calling as well. NOTE - the male also sometimes goes briefly prone, perhaps as a prelude to attack in antagonistic displays.
The females were too far away to be seen clearly and were recognised by overall shape, grey-brownish tinge, and occasionally the wing-bar. As always the bill is tipped yellow. The Eastman book from North America says that this yellow tip disappears after the breeding season, and re-appears over winter in preparation for the next one.
A couple of dozen Little Grebe, but no Black-necked Grebes as far as I could see. Basically, when I scan the water, if it is at all brownish, then I am eliminating the other Grebes, and this does seem to work.
There are still some numbers of wintering ducks, particularly Wigeon, of which there are still hundreds. I wonder where they all go in the summer. There were about a dozen Pintail who were spending much of their time upending, and a few Teal and Mallard in the distance. There were dozens of Pochard, mainly male of course, females having travelled further South. Tufted Duck were widely distributed across all of the pools.
The Goldeneye are the most interesting duck to me, because of their relative rarity and delicate beauty. The males and females seem to be more closely associated with each other now, either in pairs or triads. The first pair I saw were apparently together. The female was almost apparently comatose, with its neck and head extended out forwards to sit flat on the water. This is called the prone-posture, and is sometimes referred to as a form of inciting. It is understood as a prelude to mating, and is generally seen from February onwards on the wintering grounds, both when the birds are first in groups and then as the birds pair up, and then later when the birds are fully and "permanently" paired up on the breeding grounds. This stillness was very striking and long-lasting lasting several minutes (the record is about 30 minutes I believe), and is referred to in BWP in the section on copulation behaviour, although the male in this case was not apparently adding the full range of other typical behaviours, and the sequence of events finished with another female joining the pair, and then the individuals diving individually. The male was moving around in front or almost circling the female, quite close, perhaps within the 60 cm mentioned in BWP, displaying by vigorously throwing its head backwards, although too far away to hear if it was calling as well. NOTE - the male also sometimes goes briefly prone, perhaps as a prelude to attack in antagonistic displays.
The females were too far away to be seen clearly and were recognised by overall shape, grey-brownish tinge, and occasionally the wing-bar. As always the bill is tipped yellow. The Eastman book from North America says that this yellow tip disappears after the breeding season, and re-appears over winter in preparation for the next one.
A couple of dozen Little Grebe, but no Black-necked Grebes as far as I could see. Basically, when I scan the water, if it is at all brownish, then I am eliminating the other Grebes, and this does seem to work.
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