Ducks and duffer chaffs

Some days, it's a bit of a toss up what to do. I wanted to hit Crossness again, but just needed a bit of a lie in really. And waking up to the sun's rays, I decided to go do a bit of shameless papping in North London - Grovelands Park to be precise. The redhead Smew was quickly located, diving frequently in the shallows; a bizarre sight to see in urban London, and as seems to be the case with park birds, the unknown origin caveat has been whacked onto it.

redhead Smew, Grovelands Park, London 16th March 2014

A couple of pairs of Mandarins were also about, pleasing all the punters out and about on this sunny day, including Karen. So after an obligatory ice cream, we headed off west to Ruislip Lido. After a bit of time where no Chiffchaffs had been singing, a couple burst into action and there was a stuttery bird that let out a few Iberian-esque crescendos mid-song, before going straight back into a normal Chiffchaff routine. Possibly the bird from the morning, but for sure I didn't hear anything too convincing. And so I left, with another weekend gone and the week's slog ahead of me.

Mandarin Ducks, Grovelands Park, London 16th March 2014