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. 

Pochard

Aythya ferina

Male

Female

Appearance:
Medium-sized diving duck
Triangular head shape
Male:
   Long, dark bill with grey band
   Reddish-brown head and neck
   Black breast and tail
   Grey body
   Dark bill with pale grey saddle
   Red eyes
Female:
   Brown head and body
   Dark bill with narrow grey band

I photographed this handsome couplr in Regent's Park along with a Red-crested Pochard (photo below).  The Common Pochard breeds here and is considered a wild bird as it does not derive from captive stock.  However, although the Red-crested Pochard also breeds in the park, it cannot be counted as a wild bird at this location.

Red-crested Pochard

Learn more about the Common Pochard. 
  

Ring-necked Parakeet

Psittacula krameri

Appearance:
Large parrot
Long tail
Green/yellow plumage
Upper bill dark red tipped with black
Lower bill black with dark red at base
Yellow eye
Male: (photographed)
    Black chin
    Wide black stripe across lower cheeks
    Pink collar
    Nape of neck washed with blue

Female:
     No head markings
     Faint yellow/green collar
     Shorter tail


It always strikes me as odd to see these birds in London, as parrots are found mostly in tropical climates.  Apparently, the feral population in Britain is a result of escaped or deliberately released pets over the years, dating back to Victorian times.  

 Learn more about the Ring-necked Parakeet. 

Egyptian Goose

Alopochen aegyptiacus

Appearance:
Large waterbird
Reddish-brown to grey-brown upper parts
Buff-coloured underparts
Pale buff head and neck
Reddish-brown patch around eye and at base of bill
Orange eyes
Pink bill with black tip, nostrils and edges
Reddish-brown collar 
Brown chest patch
White wing patch
Black tail
Cinnamon-coloured undertail coverts
Pink legs and feet
Male:
     Green secondaries

Although called the Egyptian Goose, this bird isn't really a goose. It is most closely related to the Shelduck, which incidentally isn't a duck at all but a cross between a goose and a duck. Who knew?


Learn more about the Egyptian Goose.

Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

Appearance:
Medium-sized water bird
Dark plumage with white line along flank
White undertail
Red frontal shield
Red bill with yellow tip
Yellow-green legs and feet
Toes are lobed, not webbed
Red eyes

These birds are common throughout the UK and I have seen them in freshwater marshes, pond and canals. What I hadn't seen before is the awkwardly adorable chick.  Looks like it needs to grow into those feet!  Like the Coot, the Moorhen has long chicken-like toes that help it walk on the top of floating vegetation and the mud.

Learn more about the Moorhen. 

Lapwing

Vanellus vanellus

Appearance:
Pigeon-sized wader
Wispy crest extending upwards from back of head
Iridescent green and purple upperparts
White breast and cheeks
Orange-brown under tail
Pink legs
Summer:
     Black throat
Winter:
     White throat
     Buff-coloured border to the feathers of the upperparts

Yet another eye-catching bird I saw at the Wetlands earlier this week.  Apparently, the name refers to its peculiar, erratic way of flying.  Although referred to simply as Lapwing in the UK, elsewhere it is known as the Northern Lapwing.  It also goes by the name of Green Plover and Peewit.

Learn more about the Lapwing.