Thames Wildlife

KINGFISHER

A small brilliantly coloured bird of the water-side - a feeder on fish - which it catches by plunging from some branch - or other perch - headlong into the water. It carries its catch - held crosswise in the bill - to a perch and - after adjusting it so that the fish is pointing inwards - swallows it whole. Water insects are also eaten. The nest is made at the end of a tunnel which the bird excavates in the banks of streams - and the only nest material is that of tiny fish bones.

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WOOD PIGEON

This beautiful bird is on the farmer's baddie list for it is a greedy feeder of unripe grain. It also feeds on acorns - bench mast - caterpillars and slugs. Its nest - built in a tree - is a mere platform of interwoven twigs through which it is possible to see the eggs from below. The nestlings - or "squabs" are fed on a milky fluid which they obtain by pushing their bills into that of the parent and taking the nourishment with a sucking action. In winter the resident population is increased by great flocks from Northern and Eastern Europe.

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LAPWING

Lapwing - peewit - green plover - these are different names for the same bird. The name "peewit" is descriptive of its call - lapwing is indicative of its broad - ample wings - and green plover denotes the bronze-green colour of its upper parts. A bird of the marshes and the muddy shore - the pastures and ploughed fields - it may be seen throughout the British Isles. It nests on the ground in some rushy pasture or marsh. Worms and larvae are its chief food. In winter it sometimes gathers in huge flocks which career about the sky often in breathtaking manoeuvres.

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REDSHANK

One of our commonest shore birds - wary - noisy - and beautiful - especially in fight when the striking wing pattern can be seen. To bird watchers it is often a great nuisance for it gives the alarm - and puts other birds on the alert. In the summer it often nests by inland waters. The nest is placed in a grass tussock which often forms a canopy over the cup and its four eggs. Insects - grubs - and molluscs are its food which it finds on muddy shores - in swamps - and in sewage farms etc. In winter it gathers in large flocks - and there is some migration - though many redshanks stay in Britain all year.

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GREAT CRESTED GREBE

On lakes - reservoirs and meres this grebe is fairly common - though at one time - owing to its slaughter for its satiny breast feathers - it became almost extinct. It is an expert diver and feeds on fish. The nest is just a pile of rotting vegetation usually placed among reeds or other water plants. The nestlings are able to swim soon after they are hatched that often they climb on to their parent's back and are carried about the water. In winter the adult loses the frill which adorns the face and becomes a pale grey and white bird.

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SHELD-DUCK

The sheld-duck is a bird of the tidal flats - the saltings - and the sand dunes. It is a large duck and in some of its habits - notably its flight - it resembles a goose rather than a duck. It nests in rabbit burrows in the sand dunes - and sometimes the nest is as much as ten feet from the entrance. During the breeding season the drake develops a large knob at the base of the bill - but by July this adornment has disappeared. The ducklings are charming in their black and white down.

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TEAL

This is the smallest British duck. It is a common species - breeding in Britain - its numbers being increased in winter by visitors from abroad. Being a very lively duck - and a strong swift flier which can rise almost vertically from the water - the collective noun for this bird "A Spring of Teal" is very apt. It loves to dabble in the shallows - sifting tiny animals from the surface through the sieve-like structure of its bill. The nest is a hollow in some dry clump of rush - or other cover - lined with down plucked from its own body.

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TUFTED DUCK

A typical diving duck of the fresh water; common on lakes and meres - especially in winter when the local breeding population is increased by migrants from abroad. Water-weeds are their main food. The nest is usually well concealed in rushes - reeds - long grass or other herbage - and eight to ten eggs are laid. A family of fluffy brown ducklings escorted by their mother - among the lily beds of a mere - is a pretty sight. The ducklings are able to dive at a very early age. The female is much browner than the male (here shown) and her crest is not so long as his.

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GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL

A giant amongst gulls with a wing span of over five feet - a devourer of carrion - and a killer of anything which is unfortunate enough to come within range of its powerful bill. It nests on cliffs - rocky headlands and islands - the nest consisting of an untidy arrangement of seaweed - grasses and litter on which are laid two or three large eggs. The chicks are fed on food which has been partly digested by the parent - and then regurgitated. Nearly four years are required for the young to attain the full black and white plumage of maturity.

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