Blackbirds, moorhens, tufted ducks in winter

On Saturday 26 January, snowing.

The next day, 27 January, higher temperatures thawed away snow and ice.

The photos were made on 26 January, when it was still wintry.

The river was mostly frozen, with some open water. Snow on most of the ice.

A male mallard duck walked on the ice. With a white feather on his bill and snowflakes on his breast.

Later, a female mallard with snow on her bill.

On the ice, black-headed gulls. One of them already with a spring-style dark brown head.

The other black-headed gulls were still in winter plumage. A few herring gulls.

In the water, many coots and mallards swim.

Sometimes, they leave the water and walk on the ice, like this coot.

For the first time this winter in open water among ice, tufted ducks. Two males swimming. About tufted ducks in Algeria: here.

Along the river bank, moorhens. Sometimes in the water, sometimes on the snowless ice, sometimes on the snowy ice. Sometimes on the bank and into the garden.

This photo shows moorhens near the bank, with open water with mainly mallards behind them.

Here, a moorhen on the snow.

And a moorhen in the garden.

In the garden and on the bank, also blackbirds.

A great tit calling on a tree.

A few hours later, a common gull has joined the birds on the ice.

Two collared doves in a tree in the garden.

Related articles

• Tufted duck female retrapped for hundredth time (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Water birds in winter (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Country diary: Sandy, Bedfordshire: A moorhen sent stone-skimmer splashes as it pattered across the river (guardian.co.uk)
• 24 January 2012 (cotswoldwaterpark.wordpress.com)
• 13 January 2012 (cotswoldwaterpark.wordpress.com)
• Nature Watch (goerie.com)
• Country diary: Hardley Flood, Norfolk: An owl swoops down on wings that seem as broad as they are long (guardian.co.uk)
• Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus) (parrotletsuk.typepad.com)