08 April 2019

My local park

I have written before about the amazing parks that are within walking distance of where I live. One is wild woodland with a stream, but, bizarrely, with a few football pitches tacked on. The other is more cultivated with a big lake and tended rose beds, a children's playground, a cafe and an information centre. I have visited the latter one so many times, when I used to take Kay as a child to the playground, then later to walk the dog on a daily basis and in the last few years to work as a volunteer at the information centre. I also go once a week to help an elderly friend walk her dog, as without me, she is afraid of falling. I have taken many foreign visitors to my local park and many comment on how amazing it is to have so much greenery in the middle of one of the world's largest cities.

The lake is full of all kinds of ducks, swans and geese. The island in the lake contains one of London's largest and most spectacular colonies of breeding herons. Once a year, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds comes along to hold a Heron Watch event and yesterday was that day. The banks of the lake were littered with binoculars on tripods. The trees on the island are littered with grey heron nests and the heron babies are now about 4 weeks old, but to my surprise are almost fully grown, except they are fluffier than the adults. There must have been at least 30 babies.

The weather was not brilliant and I had forgotten to charge my camera, so to my annoyance the battery gave out after only a few photos. Here is the best I can offer...


Heron island. Click on the picture to zoom in and see how many herons you can spot

So many herons living in one tree

A mandarin duck having a nap

An Egyptian goose eyeing me up

4 comments:

Linda d said...

Lovely Addy. Would enjoy seeing more.

BMW said...

Your park is incredible. London is a lovely city. My husband and I visited a few years ago and stayed in the Kensington and Baywaters, Hyde Park area. We had a wonderful time. We also loved all the various little parks slipped in every where. The pictures are a treat.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

The Egyptian goose was eyeing you up but he is far too short for you. Also I suspect that conversation with him would be very limited. I wonder what your local park is called. You never said.Perhaps you have your reasons.

AGuidingLife said...

The herons around here tend to be solitary creatures. The same bird in the same haunt. I wonder if that's just because there aren't enough of them to breed much or if it's because they have the option to move on. I can't imagine the neighbours to the park like them much - not if they have ponds!!! I do like to see them fly.