Another great find today. I’d had a tip-off from my neighbour recently about some other baby birds nearby, but until now hadn’t spotted them.
That’s right. Baby moorhens. They’re even smaller than the goslings so not the easiest to see, but there are 3 in the photo, I promise. But only 1 adult. Perhaps dad was scouting ahead for danger and/or food. Or maybe he’d had enough for one day and had gone to the pub. Good luck, pal, they won’t be opening any time soon.
I’m hoping to get a better picture of the Three Amigos soon so you can see just how cute they are. If any camera companies fancy sponsoring this blog by sending me the latest digital SLR with mega zoom that would be lovely.
Now, I’d also like to take a moment to talk about this fella.
Isn’t he majestic?
This is a greylag goose. And as far as I can tell, the only one in this area. I often see him hanging out on this part of the canal with a large group of the Canadian geese. And never any young around here. Perhaps this is the teenagers wanting to get away from their parents and annoying siblings.
But why is this guy always here? Shouldn’t he be with other greylags? The Canadians don’t seem to mind. I’ve seen them fight amongst themselves but never with him. So far my research on whether geese can crossbreed has proved inconclusive. But although he is usually sitting with them, he looks somewhat separate. Did his fellow greylags banish him for some horrendous crime? Or did he leave on his own accord, knowing he could stand out from the crowd if he settled in with the Canadians?
I’ll never know, but I hope he’s not lonely.
And yes, the title of this blog post is a reference to a wonderful advert from the early 90s. What a time to be alive, eh?