Peregrine Displays

 Some documentary shots of the courtship display of the Peregrine pair that have returned St Albans. The female has a rather tatty tail but it didn't seem to affect her manoeuvrability. Hopefully someone in our Nature Group with more pixels than my camera has some better shots.

Peregrine St Albans Cathedral

Great to record the Peregrine falcon hopefully nesting on St Albans Cathedral - rather distant but unmistakable! The lakeside birds are all getting ready for breeding with many squabbles and displays.

St Albans Nest Building Underway

I called in at the park in St Albans on my way back from talking in Tring the night before. Great to talk to a 'live' audience. The sun had just come above the trees giving beautiful but harsh light on the incoming Grey Heron as it went back and forth bringing twigs to the nest site. Only this one Heron was evident - hopefully there are others. The clouds then came up so the light was poor for the Magpie collecting nest material and the Coot guarding its nest site from a passing Moorhen.

Herons, Geese and other Water Birds at St Albans

We were too late in the year and the day for much Heron activity but still fun to watch their antics when they woke up for short spells. Some appear to be sitting on eggs still.

The Canada Geese were the most vocal especially now with young. Otherwise recorded Dabchick,Coot, Yellow Wagtail, Tufted Duck and Pied Wagtail

Verulameum Park St Albans - Cormorants12; Herons 1

I called in at Verulameum Park on my way to Guildford to see if the Herons that nest on the island on the lake were active and found only one very grumpy Heron hiding in the middle of the bushes but a large number of Cormorants squabbling for the prime position. The lake was partly frozen and the low sunlight gave great colours there and through the trees.