At the weekend, we all went to feed the ducks on the lake at Pontefract park. It's an unusual park as it's in the centre of Pontefract Racecourse, which itself used to be flanked to the north and east by 2 large collieries. The old spoil heap of one is still visible from the park. The park must have been even more of an oasis then when the collieries were open.The lake is a little unusual as well. At first glance it just looks like any other municipal concrete-sided water receptacle, with healthy populations of bread-eaters, such as mallard, tufted duck and black-headed gull in winter and pedaloes for hire in summer. On closer inspection, the lake is big enough for those less interested in sliced white to keep their distance. So birds like moorhen, pochard and goosander are able to feed in peace.
Not that I have anything against mallards, tufties or black-heads. In fact quite the opposite, it was a treat to get such close views of such good looking birds. The top picture is a quick study of male and female mallards, and the bottom picture is a female tufted duck.
2 comments:
These are really good observational sketches, you put me to shame...
Yes, I especially like how you captured the busy motoring quality of a duck ( upper right-hand duck). The "I'm-busy-doing-duck-things" quality of its paddle.
So I looked up your moorhen as we don't get moorhens here. It looks pretty close to our coots, with the frontal shield on the forehead. I guess it would be similar since they are from the same family but if you get a chance, check out the feet of a coot on the net. I don't think they are lobed like your moorhen. Very freaky feet. VERY.
I'm thinking your goosander is the same as our common merganser? And we get a tufted duck here but I haven't seen it yet. I will keep a closer eye out. Oh and we don't get your pochard either! Sheesh.
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