Mostly young ones..

This morning I was anticipating joining the Dawn Chorus walk in Richmond Park and yesterday I was due to join Frank on his and then join another group. For completely different reasons I missed both - so disappointed - hey ho such is life!

However, the Robin and now a Great Tit are enjoying the last few mealworms and a wren graced me with its presence early this morning.

I'd decided to stay local today, so off I went to Painshill. Loads of youngsters about: three families of Greylag Geese, it seems only one now of Egyptian Geese and four of Canada Geese. Strangely only one mallard family and she seemed to be on her own.

The pair of Great Crested Grebes are there still. Again just relaxed and swimming about togeether - methinks it might be getting too late for further eggs after losing their last one.

Very quiet today - may be because it was colder. No sun and such and before too long, rain stopped play. Shame really that there was so little about.

The first group of youngsters were these Canada Goose goslings - eight of them. Cuddled up and having a snooze.

All trying to keep warm under Mum.

Not many feet away were yet another group and again, they were trying to keep warm. I was trying to count them - there were so many tucked up under Mum's wing.

and they have their own umbrella!

and with all those bodies, occasionally it's necessary to come up for air.

An aggressive swan shot down the lake now causing a mad dash by the goslings

and finally, it was revealed that there were 15 of them (not all got into the picture)

And sometimes you need to assert yourself with your siblings

Out on the Causeway a family of seven young Greylag Geese were happy to follow Mum and Dad

Then a female mallard with her four youngsters...two cream and two brown & cream striped!

Not quite sure of her parentage but she's rather pretty


This innocent had caused the goslings to run away...

A solitary Grey Heron flapped along - those I saw building a nest have gone - and no signs now of any nesting.

and a couple of Canada Geese where doing what they're good at - chasing others!

So all in all a quiet day - I suppose that I should have expected the rain; after all it is a Bank Holiday Monday.


I also said I'd let fellow bloggers know about Jane's Kestrels. Jane of Urban Extension has been working on a webcam focusing on a pair of nesting Kestrels. I can thoroughly recommend a trip over to Urban Extension - a great wildlife site and equally the Kestrel webcam.

I was watching the latter earlier today and, apart from seeing the female eating, the accompanying bird song was amazing.