Towheeblog

During the ten days we were in France, autumn arrived in London. This morning a flock of migrating Song Thrush were in Dulwich Park.

The human joggers were silent, even the European Coots were fairly quiet. But there was plenty of noise from the Black-headed Gulls that flew about, declaring their upset at the gray skies ()it’s London, what do they expect?) and lack of edible trash on the ground. In one distant flock there was single juvenile Greater Black-backed Gull, a Gulliver among Lilliputians.

There was a single Great Cormorant in the park’s lone pond. He is often found away from the sea like America’s similar Double-crested species. Here the shag is the small ocean-loving cormorant, similar to the Pelagic of the American West Coast.

This time of year not all the male TUFTED Ducks are actually wearing tufts.

This Woodpigeon expected to be fed.

The Ring-necked Parakeet has spread across metro London and can be found in cities across Europe from Amsterdam to Istanbul and south into North Africa.
In this last photo he’s doing a little toenail trimming.

Dulwich Park, London, GB-ENG. Oct 20, 2012 8:00 AM.20 species (+1 other taxa).
Mallard 75
Tufted Duck 8
Great Cormorant 1
Gray Heron 2
Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1
Eurasian Moorhen 5
Eurasian Coot 15
Black-headed Gull 130
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Rock Pigeon (Domestic type) 4
Common Wood-Pigeon 35
Rose-ringed Parakeet 20
Eurasian Magpie 8
Carrion Crow 20
Eurasian Wren 1
European Robin 6
Eurasian Blackbird 20
Song Thrush 4
European Starling 45
European Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 6