Thursday, October 31, 2019

Long-eared Owl

Long-eared Owl, Site undisclosed, 31st October 2019 © George Walthew

Bearded Tit

Bearded Tit, Kings Dyke NR, 31st October 2019 © George Walthew

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Scaup

Female Scaup, Grafham Water, 12th October 2019 © Richard Patient

Wigeon

Eclipse Drake Wigeon, Wimpole Hall, 29th October 2019 © Robert Skeen

Shoveler

Male Shoveler, Wimpole Hall, 29th October 2019 © Robert Skeen

Fieldfare

Fieldfare, Wimpole Hall, 29th October 2019 © Robert Skeen

Mute Swan

Mute Swan, Dernford Reservoir, 27th October 2019 © Steve Cooper
'A Polish type bird.' SC
Editors comments. I was not aware of a 'polish type' Mute Swan and asked Steve for more information, appended below. Thanks Steve.
 
The polish mute swan is a ‘pure white’ version of a mute swan. The legs and feet are a pinkish-grey colour instead of the usual black colour
A pigment deficiency of a gene in the sex chromosomes is what causes the whiteness.
When a female mute swan inherits only one melanin-deficient chromosome she will be a polish swan, whereas the male of the same parents will be normal. If the next generation is produced by two of their offspring the brood will contain numbers of both polish and normal cygnets of either sex.
Polish swans were given their name when they were imported from the Polish coast on the Baltic sea into London around about 1800. Mistakenly thought to be a new species they were given the name ‘Cygnus immutabilis’ (changeless swan).
Polish swans are not a different species of swan, because they are mute swans.


Stonechat

Female Stonechat, Wicken Fen, 28th October 2019 © David Ball

Barn Owl

Barn Owl, Grafham Water, 12th October 2019 © Richard Patient

Great White Egret

Great White Egret, Grafham Water, 6th October 2019 © Richard Patient

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Reed Bunting

Male Reed Bunting, Kings Dyke NHR,  9th October 2019 © Nigel Sprowell

Moorhen

Moorhen, Kings Dyke NR, 9th October 2019 © Nigel Sprowell

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Reed Bunting

Male Reed Bunting, Kings Dyke NR, 9th October 2019 © Garth Peacock

Green Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker, St.Ives, 8th October 2019 © Nigel Sprowell

Wednesday, October 09, 2019

Jay

Jay, Houghton, 8rh October 2019 © Jonathan Stephenson

Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting, Houghton, 8th October 2019 © Jonathan Stephenson

Friday, October 04, 2019

Cormorant

Cormorant, Houghton, 3rd October 2019 © Jonathan Stephenson

Wren

Wren, Houghton, 3rd October 2019 © Jonathan Stephenson

Thursday, October 03, 2019

Stonechat

Male Stonechat, Summerhouse Farm Melbourn, 2nd October 2019 © Steve Cooper