Another cold walk round Loddon Reserve

I went for another very cold walk today, although it was not as cold as yesterday.  The lake is mainly frozen and, again, the ducks and geese were all settled in the same area.  There were dozens of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) which were originally imported from North America but are now widespread in the UK and often regarded as a nuisance.

Many of them seem to have settled in pairs, so they must have started breeding.

and this one looks really odd with its head tucked out of sight.

There was lots of preening going on and the ice is covered in loose feathers.

There were certainly plenty of them on the lake and they were making a lot of noise, honking furiously.

and these geese were coming in to land on the lake.

There were also one or two Greylag Geese (Anser anser) which I think are much more attractive with their orange bills and legs.

There were many Mute Swans, including some juveniles, and they were mixed in with all the other ducks and geese.

Ducks included Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler, Great-crested Grebe, Coots and Moorhens and the Gulls included Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls.

There were several Grey Herons around and this one flew past as I was watching the ducks.

I did have a final treat.  As I walked back through the wood, I spotted a Buzzard in a nearby tree and managed to get a couple of reasonable photos before it flew off.