Kestrels return

Roger Hanner, from Shiplake Cross, sent these pictures and says: “In 2016 I sent you a picture of a kestrel nesting in a tree on Henley golf course.

“Since then they have been coming back annually and this year on a rainy Tuesday afternoon I managed to take a few pictures of the current batch nesting.

“The two juvenile kestrels were sheltering from the wind and rain and then one of them decided to change his position and give me a chance to catch him as he waited for his parents to return.

“The pictures were taken using a Cannon EOS200D with a 500mm lens and were then “Photoshopped” to bring up the contrast and brightness.

“Your readers might also be interested to hear that the parakeets that were feeding in my cherry tree in 2019 are back again this year squawking loudly to make their presence known.

“This would seem to indicate that they have a memory of where they can find ripe berries as it is only at this time in the year that I see and hear them in my garden.

“I recently saw these unusual ducks sitting on the fence at Widmore Pond in Sonning Common while out on one of my walks that I have been taking during lockdown.

“I am not sure what breed they are but they look like they could be muscovy ducks which can be found in the UK, although they are normally seen in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe.

“Maybe your readers know more and will be able to confirm their identification?

!The pictures are not as good as I would have liked as they were taken with my IPhone but I just liked how the birds were sitting on the fence together watching what was going on in the pond.”