While walking along the banks of the central London Thames, your attention is most likely to be focused on boats, bridges and buildings. Yet, if you if you pause for longer than a few moments when the foreshore is exposed during the rhythm of the tides, you will see some of the birds that that feed or breed along this stretch of the river. Having been largely limited to views from Victoria Tower Gardens, I have concentrated on its foreshore, where all the photographs below have been taken. Though they amount to just a few of the ninety-two species of birds that can be found along the tidal Thames and Estuary, they have been a delight to watch and an absorbing escape from the concerns and anxieties of life.
A pair of Mallard ducks -the same pair as in the picture above- settling on a Palace of Westminster foreshore marker.Egyptian Geese making a noise.Greylag goose, wings flapping, showing off.Cormorant, standing still, wings outstretched.Black-backed gull on the sandy part of the foreshore.Mature herring gulls on the remains of a jetty. Very young herring gull.A *nursery* of immature herring gulls on the remains of an old jetty.Young herring gull, already looking well-fed, demanding more food.Fledgling crow calling for food.Pigeon walking along the foreshore.Bath time for a group of pigeons.Bath time for a pair of Canada geese.Group of black-headed gulls, heads not yet fully coloured, at rest in winter sunshine.A black-headed gull, with its dark head fully coloured, coming into the foreshore.A small swan family by the remains of a jetty.Egyptian goose family on their first outing, March 25, 2023.Quizzical look from a herring gull.And finally, a Greylag goose, giving me an almost almost human, ‘whatcha staring at’ look.
