Sunday 5 January 2014

Birds at the Quoile Pondage

Following on from yesterday's post when I featured the Long tailed ducks that I was fortunate to see at the Quoile Pondage, today I am showing you the rest of the birds I saw there.

The Quoile’s rich mosaic of habitats is regulated by the daily fluctuations in water levels.  Marsh plants grow along the river fringes, with reedbeds, rushy grassland and willow scrub.  Freshwater habitats are rich in insect life, providing food for fish such as Rudd and Eels which, in turn, feed Grey Herons, Cormorants and Grebes.
 
Mute Swans
 
 
This is a diagrame of the Quoile Pondage.
 
 
You could spend all day walking along the path that surrounds the Quoile River, taking in the beauty adnpeacefulness of the whole.  However I stopped the car at various places along the river to take photographs as it was raining off and on most of the day.
 
 
 
 
This was a shot I took on the other side of the second shot.  A lone Swan. 
I think if I was a Swan, I would like to live on this undisturbed river.
 
 
 
 
This was one of the views as I walked along the toepath.
 
 
The first duck I saw was this female Goldeneye.
 
 
 
 
 
 
There were quite a number of Mute Swans, and I think by now, (if you have been following my blog before), I do look Swans and always stop and photograph them.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Some Wigeon feeding on the far bank.
 
 
 
 
This is collection of  'mixed up' Mallards and cygnets.
 
 
Close up of cygnet
 
 
 
 
 
 
This shot may give you an idea of the size of the river at this point.
 
 
The rest of the cygnets turned up to join one of the parents.
 
 
Female Mallards are really lovely ducks when you see them close up. (I think )
 
 
 
 
Three male Mallard in line with females at the side
 
 
This is another shot of the Long tailed duck I featured yesterday and it was near the middle of the river between the shot above and the Wigeon on the bank. 
 
 
A beautiful male Goldeneye sailed past.
 
 
 
 
I left that area and moved a mile further down the Quoile River to this hide where there was a fresh lake and usually has a lot of ducks, waders, grebes, cormorants adn swans, however that day, there was not that much there.
 
 
This is a view from one of the open windows.
 
 
I don't know whether you can see them or not, however the birds in the air are mostly Lapwing
.

I will finish with this shot and you can just see the Mountains of Mournes in the background.

I have a short video which can be accessed at

http://youtu.be/rcHaB_yrTdA

If there is a black space below, click it and the viedo will appear.



Many thanks for visiting and also thanks to those who kindly leave comments.

20 comments:

  1. Seems like there is a lot to photography along that road. Those last three landscapes are so beautiful with the lights shining through. The animals are at peace there too. Very relaxing drive and walk!

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  2. A wonderful post, Margaret! I love the swans and the goldeneyes. Have a lovely Sunday!

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  3. Beautiful place to watch for birds! And you saw such lovely goldeneyes, swans, long-tailed ducks...

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  4. Hello Margaret
    Impressed me your excellent photos.
    I love swans. This beautiful birds.
    Thank you for a Sunday stroll. He was very nice.
    Greetings.
    Lucia

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  5. Margaret, wonderful collection of waterfowl and pretty swans. Beautiful photos. Have a great day!

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  6. I love the first and 18th shot the best....all the photos are stunning, those walks of yours are something else. thank you for stopping by the new blog, it doesn't matter if you return it is the thought and the effort that counts...cheers

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  7. So many beautiful photos, Margaret. I can't comment on each one, but I want to especially mention the close-up of the cygnet. What beautiful feathers that shot captured. And then the close-up of the adult swan immediately following is also gorgeous. And I agree that female mallards are lovely. You captured their beauty nicely in your photographs of them.

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  8. Oh these images are just beautiful, Margaret. What a lovely place to capture those elegant swans and birds.

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  9. What an incredible place. Thank you so much for sharing the beauty.

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  10. Great shots of the birds. Let's see,only about 3-4 months until the Mallards should be returning to my area.

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  11. The golden eyes of the Goldeneyes are amazing. Fabulous pics Margaret!

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  12. beautiful Margaret; love especially the cygnets. (Maybe you can help identify - juvenile male, or is it a female, Mallard, in my last post? Is it that easy to tell???)

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  13. wow, what a great place for birding. :)

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  14. i still get excited, every time i see the mallards!! they are so common and their beauty often overlooked!!

    beautiful mute swans, ours are so dirty this time of year!!

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  15. What a pretty place, I love the close up shot of the cygnet.

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  16. Enjoyed catching up with you! What wonderful birding you had. I so like the first shot of the swans. They are always so enchanting in my mind. :)

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  17. Mallards really get around! We have those here, too.

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  18. That looks a wonderful place to explore with a camera and binoculars Margaret - at any time of year too. It looks like at least a day is required to "do" it properly. Brilliant picture of the Long-tailed Duck. Have a great week ahead.

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  19. We have exactly the same ducks here in Hokkaido..........

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