

	In and Around the Pond

	Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos
	Anas Platyrhynchos *from Latin Anas* (duck) and from Greek Platys (broad or flat) and rynchos (beak). "Mallard" relates to maleness from Old French "Wild drake" from masle: male. Mallards are known as "surface feeding" ducks because they dip and dabble in the shallows of fresh and salt water marshes. Mallards are agile fliers who can take off almost vertically.**
	Canada Geese Branta Canadensis
	Canada geese were first introduced to Britain in 1665 as an addition to the waterfowl collection of King Charles II at St. James’ Park. Numbers remained low until the 1950s when they started to increase significantly. The 1991 census recorded 63,581 Canada geese in the U.K. However, evidence now suggests that the population in urban areas is now leveling out due to competition for nesting sites. They are a mixed blessing at London Yard because the noise they make and the mess they make. They arrive just before Easter and if they can be persuaded not to nest they leave soon after. If not they stay until the end of the summer.
	Heron Ardea cinerea
	The heron's diet includes fishes, small mammals, young ducks and amphibians - they find frogs particularly easy to catch at mating time. The numbers of herons quickly reduce during hard winters when lakes, ponds and slow-flowing rivers become frozen - a time when some herons do in fact migrate to the coast. For a number of years London Yard has been visited by a heron at around Easter.
	Goldfish Carassius auratus
	The fish in the pond are discarded pets. In the years since they were first deposited in the pond they have multiplied until now there are hundreds. The older ones are now gaining in size and may, in a few more years, become valuable. Goldfish are the domesticated Asiatic subspecies of Carassius auratus, the gibel carp, a species that naturally shows a wide range of morphological variation when raised in different environments. The colour of goldfish is environmentally influenced, light being the most important factor: fish raised in a dim environment (such as deeper ponds, rivers, etc) develop (and retain) pale colouration, whereas fish raised in a bright environment develop brighter, saturated colours. The pond's fish are becoming noticeably darker.
	Terrapin species not known
	Terrapins are not as easy to look after, so it is probably not surprising that someone let a pair loose into the London Yard pond some years ago. They have since produced an offspring. It is common for terrapins to die if they are not kept in very good conditions so the pond must suit them. The terrapins which are most commonly sold through pet shops are the Common Red-Eared Terrapin. These are originally from the southern states of the USA. We are not, however, sure which species these are.

	Birds

	Magpie Corvidae
	The magpie, beautiful though it is, kills a lot of song birds and small animals, and so it is not very popular with many bird lovers. The glossy black and white plumage of this member of the crow family make it easy to recognise. In common with jackdaws, magpies are attracted to shiny objects and are notorious for stealing rings and other jewellery left on windowsills or tables out of doors. They commonly visit gardens.

	Seagull Species not known
	Gull is a type of long-winged bird about the size of a pigeon or larger. Gulls are often seen swooping over most large bodies of water. Most gulls make their home near the ocean, but they also live on inland waters. Gulls are close relatives of another kind of sea bird, the tern. The adults of many species of gulls are pearl-grey above and white below. The feathers of some species also show some black, brown, or grey. The colours change with the season and with the age of the birds. Young birds look greyish or brownish. Some kinds become white the second year, while others may not grow their adult feathers until they are four years old. Most gulls have broader wings, squarer tails, and larger, stockier bodies than terns. Gulls look less graceful in flight than terns, but they can swim better. Gulls often rest by floating on the water.

	Sparrow Passer Domesticus
	Universally familiar in appearance the widespread and once abundant house sparrow has become a mystery bird at many localities in recent times. For years we objected to the permanent resident flock in our garden taking more than a fair share of food during the winter. But now weeks pass without a single example putting in an appearance. Perky and bustling, house sparrows have always been gregarious at all times mixing in autumn and winter with finches in the fields — especially when stubbles remained available to them.

	Blackbird Turdus merula
	Often tame, spending long periods in open gardens, the species is really skulking in behaviour given to sudden panic and a noisy retreat into dense cover. Flight is usually low and for short distances only. Except when migrating, blackbirds are never really gregarious although considerable numbers may roost together - often among redwing - in shrubberies and dense hedgerows. Black plumage and yellow bill identify adult male. First year males have more brown in plumage and brownish bill. Female is more variable, with brown plumage and mottled breast and bill brown (or orange in older birds).

	In and Around the Thames

	Chinese Mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis
	The crab is the infamous Chinese Mitten crab, an invader to the Thames from Asia, which gets its name from its furry "mittens" near the claws. They are a huge problem in the river. They eat everything in their path and burrow into the riverbanks, thus increasing erosion and causing collapse of the banks. Since mitten crabs are an introduced species, nothing in the Thames eats them, so in the past 30 years their population has increased so dramatically. It doesn't help that they can survive in both fresh and salt water, are able to survive long periods out of water and can climb over nearly everything! On the flip side, their raw gonads are a delicacy in China!