Connaught Water – A brush with nature

What turned out as the warmest day of the year, found me stupidly volunteering to give our sorry internal door a fresh lick of non-drip gloss. I really need to think before I open my gob. With the skies clearing to a colbalt blue, I prepped the doors and swore into my tea. My good lady is more sensible; she had already planned to go on a group walk around Wanstead followed by a historical talk somewhere.

Which ever way I tried to look at my task in hand, it was going to take most of the day. On top of all this, I had to go and buy a new toaster from Currys. What a life right? Try and keep up.

The math was simple. If I took ten hours to do the doors, I could probably steal an hour or so without anyone asking why I was taking so long to slap a bit of brilliant white on some doors?

Okay so the best place for me to get that hour is usually Connaught Water. It has average ducks and stuff on the water and always a teasing nuthatch or treecreeper that draw me to them like a siren does a sailor. This usually means I get my boots incredibly muddy and this always looks a little suspicious when the 'weekend jobs' police start asking questions.

Anyway, it was good today. The light was excellent and the birds amazingly confiding and of a fair variety.

Mandarin Duck
The Mandarin is like a complete Dulux colour chart. When you get this close, you can really appreciate the artistry of nature, such a fantastic stylist.
Near breeding plumage

Black-headed Gull doing a shearwater impression

Canada Geese coming in to land

Canada Geese splash down

Canada Geese

Canada Goose

Go Cootie!

Coot


Goosanders

Magpie

Mandarin Duck

Mute Swamn

Teal

Tufted Duck
Apart from the log-staying Goosanders, there was a drake Pintail but it stayed undercover by the big island. I did two circuits of the water before speeding off in the rough direction of Currys in Chingford. A great start to a hard-working day.

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