Richmond Park Birds

I don't actually think I have done a post on Richmond Park yet so let's hope this is the first of many. It's the second day of the 'mass' snowfall and most of it has turned to ice now. However, before the snow melted we arranged a trip to Richmond Park; it would be a great opportunity to take some shots for the Park's Winter Photography Competition (which I am obviously going to win!).
On first arriving there were hundreds of people sledging and snowboarding down slopes, so we found an area that was a little quieter and I set up the equipment and looked around for some wildlife.
The first bird I saw was a Green Woodpecker. Heavy snow can be a problem for these birds as they find it harder to reach food (insects, seeds). The bird flew down onto the snow and constantly made holes for it to poke its beak into.




On to a nearby lake where I added Pintail to my year list. The ducks were clearly not built for the ice, you should have seen this Pintail's landing!


A Shoveler


4 female Shelduck were busy drinking the melting ice most of the time


Robins were very abundant around the park and posed nicely for the camera




Ground feeding birds, including this Dunnock, were active along the footpaths where the snow had melted the most.


This was probably the first time this young Blackbird had come across snow




A Woodpigeon


A Wren


A young Red Deer