Balham Roses and baby Madarins

This greeted me last week in Balham:

Over the weekend I met these fellows, Mandarin ducks (as mentioned in the 'Song of Sabre', as the males have rather striking angular plumage.):

There are actually nine of them. This is their mother:

 

Feeding them wild bird seed and oats. Tiny speedy hard bills, softest downy breast feathers. One clambered onto my hand to investigate my sleeve, which was green and therefore could have perhaps been food, and it's webbed feet were really warm - a surprise. Since moving to London I have spent so much time amongst wild creatures, mainly of the feathered kind.