RSPB Rye Meads - Coot Diving Behaviour

More from RSPB Rye Meads Nature Reserve.

 

Coots are common and present many opportunities for photos, but despite this they are difficult to photograph with the contrast between the black feathers and white frontal shield and bill, with the dark red eye often being lost in the dark head.  Whilst sitting in a hide as the day clouded over I spent several minutes watching a coot repeatedly diving for weed on the lake bottom, and decided to have a go at trying to capture the dive and the return to the surface.  Results were a bit mixed, but with a little help from Photoshop, I managed to record this behaviour.

 

A dive producing an interesting pattern in the water.

 

Bobbing up to the surface with the water on its back....

 

.....running back onto its back like a silvery coat almost immediately.

 

Another interesting shape from the water as the coot emerges.

From all my many attempts to catch a coot face on, apart from the middle photos above, the coot managed to avoid facing me!

RSPB Rye Meads - Kingfisher

A return visit in better light than my previous visit last week, principally to photograph the male Kingfisher that is still frequenting the pool adjacent to the artificial breeding bank where he helped raise two broods this summer.  In particular I was hoping to get a decent shot of the bird in flight.

 

Looking for a fish....

...and spotted...



....and diving off its perch.  (The best shot in flight I managed, but not really worth publishing on its own.  I will have to keep on trying)



 

Another frustrating shot, as whilst the Kingfisher was close, it was partially obscured by vegetation.



 

RSPB Rye Meads - Birds

Photos from a quick trip to Rye Meads on a dull morning this week.

 

Mute Swan that flew conveniently close to the hide.



A Little Grebe, also commonly known as a Dabchick also passed, causing interesting ripple reflections...



....and then passed a male Mallard resplendent in its new feathers, and giving a good guide to the relatively small size of the Dabchick.  Other regional names for this bird apparently were 'Divedapper', 'Divedrop', 'Doucher' and 'Divy Duck' (Ref Birds Britanica)



Male Teal in flight.  It is interesting that the green wing feathers appear blue on the farthest wing. 

 

Starlings sitting in a pylon.  They are now beginning to form flocks as winter approaches.  Here at Rye Meads Reserve, there were a couple of hundred sitting on the nearby electric cables.

Lee Valley - Rye Meads RSPB Reserve Birds

I have not been able to take any photos of the countryside recently, and thought that a few photos of birds taken two years ago during May on a morning's visit to the RSPB Reserve at Rye Meads would fill the gap.  Whilst I was unable to take any photos of rare birds (and there are a few), I did get a few  photos which I thought were of interest

A Mallard with a Moorhen's reflection

A Heron spreading it's wings to break before landing with little disturbance to the water

A Common Tern.  Not as sharp as I would have wanted but a beautiful and elegant shape