This is a companion to my other Bird of the Day blog, which focuses on birds I have seen in Victoria, Canada.

With the amount of time we have been spending in London lately, I decided it was time to get out my camera and broaden my knowledge of birds of England.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus


Appearance:

Small gull
Red bill and legs
Pale gray back
White underparts
White edge along forewing
Black wing tips
 Breeding: (above)
      Dark brown head
Non-breeding: (to right)
     White head
     Dark spot behind eyes

Listen to its call.  


Non-breeding plumage - in flight
These gulls are a common sight in England.  I often see them flying overhead and hanging out in the parks in London.  

Learn more about the Black-headed Gull.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Rook

Corvus frugilegus


Appearance
Large black bird
Large grey-black bill, with bare grey-white skin around base
  
Listen to its call. 

I saw a large number of these birds in the fields along the river trail between Ware and Hertford. I determined they were Rooks for the following reasons: 1) "untidy" leg feathers, 2) bare grey-white skin at base of bill, and 3) Rooks are sociable birds while Carrion crows are usually found alone or in pairs.

Learn more about the Rook.

Jackdaw

Corvus monedula



Appearance
Small black crow
Silvery sheen to back of head
Pale grey (almost white) eye

Listen to its call.

While walking along the Lea River from Ware to Hertford in Hertfordshire, I saw this bird in a nearby field along with a substantial number of larger crows. The pale eye as well as the size distinguished this bird from the others. It wasn't until I reviewed the pictures later that I noticed the grey nape and shoulders.

Learn more about the Jackdaw.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Shoveler

Anas clypeata


Appearance:
Dabbler duck
Large, spoon-shaped bill
Male:               
    Green head
    White chest
    Rusty sides
    Black bill
Female :(pictured)
     Mottled brown
     Gray and orange bill
Listen to its call.

I love these ducks. They are so odd looking with their huge bill.  I saw this one in Regent's Park last week.  There was only the one though; no male in sight.
Stretching after bathing

Comb-like projections on bill used to strain food from the water.  

Learn more about the Shoveler.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Pied Wagtail

Motacilla alba yarrelli


Appearance 
Slender bird
Long tail
Black above (very dark grey in female) and white below
White face
Black cap, throat and breast
White outer tail feathers and wing bars
Winter (above)
      Plumage is greyer
      Less black on the breast
      Grey flank
Juveniles (below)
     Often tinged with yellow



I struggled trying to identify these birds which I saw this afternoon on the lovely grounds of The Vyne outside of Baskingstoke in Hampshire.  The yellow face on the one was throwing me off completely. After hours of deliberating,  I finally found a forum on the RSPB website that confirmed its identity (thankfully).

Learn more about the Pied Wagtail. 

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Starling

Sturnis vulgaris


Appearance:
Medium-sized passerine bird
Short tail
Pinkish legs  
Summer
       Iridescent black plumage
       Yellow bill  
Winter (pictured)
       Brown-black plumage speckled with white
       Black bill

 Listen to its call.

A pair of these birds were trying to have a little bath in the boating lake in Regent's Park this afternoon. Unfortunately, their efforts kept being thwarted by a Mute Swan trying  to bite them. The Starlings weren't too upset by this though, as they continued to run back and forth to the water between nips.  


Learn more about the Starling.