Fulvous Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna bicolor)

Dear Readers, as mentioned yesterday the London Wetlands Centre has a fine selection of non-native wildfowl as well as its extensive natural wetlands. I was very taken with these Fulvous Whistling Ducks, who did indeed whistle, but mostly hung out in pairs (they mate for life). This pair were so well-bonded that they even did synchronised preening. You can find this species in the wild in Asia, Africa, North and South America – in fact anywhere except Europe. 

This pair are Orinoco Geese (Neochen jubata), from South America as the name would imply. Cheekily, the females sometimes lay their eggs in the nests of other Orinoco geese, so one female might end up with as many as 19 goslings to take care of.

And these chaps are Red-crested Pochards (Netta rufina) –  I think they look a little like a 1980s boy band, but maybe that’s just me. They are extremely handsome and are sometimes seen in the wild as escapees from wildfowl collections, though some birds do hop across from the Continent.

And what is this on one of the noticeboards? I’m pretty sure it’s a False Widow Spider (male) (Steatoda nobilis). He was very active considering it’s the middle of winter.

And then we found a pair of these rather handsome birds. These are Cape Barren Geese (Cereopsis novaehollandiae), rare in the wild and also apparently in collections, as they have a reputation for being ‘strong and aggressive to humans’. These two seemed extremely relaxed.

And then, finally, we have some Red-breasted geese (Branta ruficollis), another species that has ‘jumped the fence’ and can occasionally be seen in the wild. They always look to me as if they’ve popped straight out of an Egyptian wall painting, as in fact they have, though if you look closely you’ll see that there are subtle differences in the plumage. Scholars believe this was either down to artistic licence, or to the painting being of a kind of goose that no longer exists. I’m thinking that maybe the latter explanation is sadly closer to the truth, as the greylag goose on the right hand side of the panel is very close in all details to the living bird.

Wall Painting from the Cairo Museum, from the tomb of Nefermaat (2575-2551 B.C.E) Photo by By Djehouty – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56136838

On the way back, we encountered the Wild Walk, which involved a lot of balancing on logs and rope ladders and other unexpected stuff – great fun for little ones and the more athletic amongst us, but a bit tricky when carrying a rucksack, a camera and binoculars. Still, I survived, and was rewarded by this bench with its water voles…

And this children’s playground, which has rides in the shape of a tadpole going through metamorphosis.

Tadpole….

Tadpole with back legs…

Froglet…

Grown-up amphibian (A toad I suspect)

And finally, we got a very good view of an obliging Reed Bunting (Emeriza schoeniclus). He appeared to be gathering nesting material, but I think he was probably just after the seeds. These are not uncommon birds but are easily overlooked. They are, however, a sign of what an excellent habitat there is here at the Wetlands. 

I am so pleased to live in a city with such easy access to such a variety of habitats. Walthamstow Wetlands is a bit easier for me to get to, but it isn’t as established as the London Wetland Centre in Barnes, plus Walthamstow is still a working reservoir, with the restrictions that that sometimes imposes. I love them both! Fingers crossed for many more opportunities to explore nearby nature in 2024.