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.

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.

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. 

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.

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Appearance:
Medium to large aquatic bird
Largest member of the grebe family
Long neck and head
Long bill 
White face with a black line from the base of the bill to the eye
Red eye
Dark olive-green feet
Breeding plumage:
    Chestnut feathers on side of head
    Black crown and head crest
    Dark brown wings
    White underparts
    White patches on wings
Non-breeding plumage:
    No crest or tippets
    Dark crown bordered by a white face 
    White extends down the foreneck and chest
Juvenile:
     Striped black and white head and neck

I took these photos in September 2014 on one of our visits to London.  I believe they were taken in Regent's Park, as that is my regular stomping ground.  

Learn more about the Great Crest Grebe. 

Smew

Mergus albellus

Appearance:
Small, compact diving duck
Short, hook-tipped, serrated bill
White wing patches
Male:
   White with black mask
    Black markings on back and breast
    White crest lined with black
    Pale-gray flanks and belly   

male

Female & Juveniles: 
   Grey with reddish-brown head
   White cheeks

female

I saw this pair at the London Wetlands in early April.  Despite being rather petite, they stood out as a result of the male's dazzling breeding plumage.  Magnificient!

Learn more about the Smew.