I liked the view better before that high tower block (above) was added a few years ago... but never mind... The flowers are pretty, and the sound from the waterfall pretty much drowns out the traffic noise from the roads nearby.
After a while I got company: A little bird came and sat on one of those high trellises nearby. I couldn't see it very well with my bare eye from where I sat, but it looked small and kind of fluffy. And from the way it just kept sitting there, I got the impression that it was probably a young one, perhaps not all that used to flying yet. After a while I took out my camera and zoomed it in. It also gave me a chance to practice using the optical viewfinder on the new camera, together with the zoom. The bird didn't seem bothered by my movements. I thought perhaps it didn't hear the camera sounds because of the waterfall...
... But looking at the pictures afterwards I get the impression that it was watching me just as much as I was watching it!
After a while, another bird came along. It only stopped for a short while, but I got the impression that it was probably Mum (or perhaps Dad - I'm not really sure how they divide the childcare between them!). Anyway it seemed to be touching beaks with the young one, as if feeding it something. Alas, I didn't manage to quite catch that moment. But you can see in the photo below that for a while there were two. "Mum" soon took off again, though - while the young one remained sitting.
After a while I dared to get up and walk around to take photos from a different angle. The bird stayed where it was, but turned its head around to keep an eye on me...
I think it must be a young sparrow - what do you think?
It must eventually have taken off while I went for a little stroll to the other end of the park. When I turned back, it had left.
Linking to Through My Lens
Monica, Yes, I believe it is a sparrow. Nice that it sat offering a chance for a few photos. Thanks for sharing and have a great week. Sylvia D.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures!! And you are right, he is a fledged baby! Two ways you can tell...the beak is a bit thick on each end and turned down in a frown (moreso with even younger ones)...and babies do not have fully grown tails yet. Although it looks like the parent is just a short tailed bird. He is just adorable, and so fluffed up. I think he had not learned to fear people yet, this is also the sign of a baby. Yesterday, I spotted a very similar baby bird and took a lot of pictures. I thought maybe our birds were the same, but after comparing the pictures, they are different. This is a beautiful oasis in the city. That tower sure has a shiny top. Now you must visit more often to birdwatch.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a young sparrow to me, too; you can tell it still has the "baby-yellow" around its beak. The adult bird must have been Mum or Dad; another adult bird would not have gone near it. Great pictures - thank you for sharing them!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and that the visiting bird is the mother. The male bird is darker with a black breast and part face and has a black beak.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your comments, which all seem to confirm my guess that it was a little sparrow and his mother :)
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