ID a couple of birds from Thames (1 Viewer)

B

BStarling

New member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #1

Hi All

I'm gradually becoming more interesting in bird watching and beginning to take a little more notice of whats around me. I spotted these two on the Thames at Richmond yesterday and would like to know what they are.

First bird was significantly bigger than a duck but a little smaller than the Canada geese around. It was also diving.

Second is obviously a black swan of some kind but I was kind of surprised to see one on the Thames.

Any suggestions for a good starter book for identification of British Birds would be welcome too.

Thanks

Bob.

 

Attachments

• 
  Mystery1.jpg

  361.9 KB · Views: 184
• 
  Mystery2.jpg

  398.3 KB · Views: 155

alan_rymer

Well-known member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #2

Bob

Great Cormorant and Black Swan ( Escaped from a collection, native of Australia ). As to Books?. From a Birders point of view, the new Collins is the best, but, there are many. It depends how big you want them, ehether a small pocketbook or an A4 Version of the Collins. There is a recent discussion, I will try to find it!.

 

Grousemore

Senior Member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #3

BStarling said:

Hi All

I'm gradually becoming more interesting in bird watching and beginning to take a little more notice of whats around me. I spotted these two on the Thames at Richmond yesterday and would like to know what they are.

First bird was significantly bigger than a duck but a little smaller than the Canada geese around. It was also diving.

Second is obviously a black swan of some kind but I was kind of surprised to see one on the Thames.

Any suggestions for a good starter book for identification of British Birds would be welcome too.

Thanks

Bob.

Click to expand...

Hi Bob and a warm welcome to Bird Forum from the Moderators and Admin.
The first bird is a Cormorant,large numbers on the Thames,but a nice bird all the same.
The second is a Black Swan as you say and I've seen one regularly on the Thames at Greenwich;an escape from somewhere at some time no doubt.
A good beginners book is the RSPB Handbook of British Birds;I think that is the title,but I'm away in USA at present,so don't have it to hand;check on the RSPB website and it's only a Tenner.

 

pduxon

Quacked up Member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #4

Hi Bob

Black Swans are becoming more common. They're certainly breeding as wild birds near me. A future tick do you reckon folks?

As to a book. As grousey says The RSPB Hand Book of British Birds by Peter Holden and Tim Cleeves is a tenner and would get my vote.

 

B

BStarling

New member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #5

Thanks for the rapid response folks. I've seen Black Swans in New Zealand but didn't expect to see one on the Thames. I toured NZ with a long time birder who had quite a few moans on the number of introduced European species there. Looks like its two way traffic.

Bob.

 

Karl J

Well-known member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #6

Another good book is the RSPB Pocket Birds, by Jonathon Elphick & John Woodward .... ISBN 0-7513-3678-5 .... which as the name suggests is small enough to go in your pocket, but it isn't so small as to be no good.

The Collins Bird Guide is quite comprehensive & good as an indoor reference.

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Mar 1, 2004

• #7

Am I right in thinking that Black Swans are introduced to New Zealand too (from Australia) but that there was originally another sort of indigeneous Black Swan that is now extinct?

 

pduxon

Quacked up Member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #8

Carlos GY said:

Another good book is the RSPB Pocket Birds, by Jonathon Elphick & John Woodward .... ISBN 0-7513-3678-5 .... which as the name suggests is small enough to go in your pocket, but it isn't so small as to be no good.

The Collins Bird Guide is quite comprehensive & good as an indoor reference.

Click to expand...

Hi Carlos a minor disagreement. The RSPB Pocket Birds is a decent book but it includes birds like Black Woodpecker that you won't see here and excludes birds like Mandarin Duck that you can.

The Collins is of course excellent.

 

Karl J

Well-known member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #9

Yes I'd agree there, it's also got the Egyptian Vulture ....you never know !!! ...... but one good thing about the pocket book that several books don't have is a size comparison with each species, rather than just X cm

 

alan_rymer

Well-known member

• Mar 1, 2004

• #10

I did a search of the handbook posts and the best two are mentioned in the posts above. Like most birders I have several, In my rucksack is the AA Guide to the Birds of Britain & Europe, I find this to be a good guide although the location maps arn't up to scratch, but it never seems to be mentioned by anyone else. Amongs the Collins and RSPB A4 size are Bill Oddies Birds of Britain and Ireland, Collins Nature Guides, plus a few other cheapies I picked up in the clearance bookshops you see around!.