My blog is mostly about wildlife, particularly birds, walking, days out, all growing things and anything else that comes to mind.
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Friday 18 December 2009

A nippy walk around Hampton Court

Snow? What snow? Unlike the rest of South East England, my small area didn't have any snow at all by morning. Whilst I heard of traffic chaos, electricity failures and school closures, together with a village in my own county being cut off by snow, my area remained resolutely normally coloured with just a hint of snowy white looking more like a heavy frost!

After a domestic start to the morning, I need to stretch my legs so decided to walk for a bit around the River Thames and then visit Hampton Court Palace Gardens.

Starting off along the side of the River Thames and looking underneath the bridge at Hampton Court towards the Palace - looks just like a sandy beach down on the right-hand side of the picture (if you look squinting through one eye with the other one closed )
and on the other side looking up river

the usual Mallards were around
Looking down river now towards Kingston upon Thames
and of course, the endemic Black headed gulls surveying their world..


Now inside the Palace grounds, this tree was covered in huge collections of mistletoe just like this "bunch"

The "front door" of the palace. I wasn't allowed in as I hadn't got a ticket - and I wasn't paying for one... I only wanted to go into the courtyard for some pictures, but - hey - "you haven't got a ticket so you can't come in"..
These sit on the wall just outside the main entrance to the palace

and mounted above the front gate
Round in the "back garden"




I wasn't really looking for birds but just enjoying the scenery, however, I couldn't resist the Wood Pigeon sitting on top of an ivy covered gateway.

And on my way out, a few Redwings flew over. One stopped in a nearby tree but played hide and seek before flying away...


Pity it hadn't posed as well as the Jackdaw.
And even the Coal Tit wouldn't come out of the shade of the branch.


It was rather nippy in the cold wind but it cleared the cobwebs nicely.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was a nippy little walk Tricia, but you collected some nice scenes.

Warren Baker said...

Like the Redwings Tricia, great looking birds!

Anonymous said...

Hi Tricia.
Great variety again, love the Woodpigeon, Redwings well caught too.
The photo of the B-H-Gulls, well you may have found a foriegner! bottom far left, on wooden jetty outside railings. Could be from Scandinavia or Russia. It's moult suggests adult moulting from summer to winter. So its not a British Gull, just a pity cannot see leg colour, a very nice find,
thanks Tricia.

paul.

holdingmoments said...

An enjoyable walk Tricia.
You sound disappointed you didn't get much snow. Had loads here :(

That's quite a bunch of mistletoe there. I don't think I've ever seen it growing like that before.
Love the Redwing shots through the branches.

oldcrow61 said...

Wow, you got some great pictures. I really like those statues on the wall and am fascinated with the mistletoe. The picture of the wood pigeon put a smile on my face. A great collection of photos.

Tricia Ryder said...

Thanks Roy.

Warren - they're great birds aren't they. I've had another around in the garden this morning too.

Keith - Not disappointed in the least about the snow. The only attraction for me is to photograph it lol

And the whole tree was covered in mistleto - there's a lot of it in this area.

OC - thank you. I thought the statues would appeal. It's a very haughty looking Wood Pigeon!!

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