I recently visited a large park in my town and came across a small pond that looked almost forgotten. It was heavily overgrown with reeds, trees and other plants, with little sign that the area received much attention from the park services. For wildlife, though, it seemed like a pretty good place to be.

In the shallow water near the shore, I noticed several Common Moorhens, including this juvenile Common Moorhen. The young bird was rather cautious and would quickly retreat into the reeds whenever I moved.

So I decided not to chase it. I sat down near the water and simply waited.

After a while, the moorhen seemed to decide that I was no longer a threat. It gradually came out of the reeds and ventured into a more open part of the pond, where I could finally photograph it without vegetation getting in the way.

The juvenile’s brownish plumage was quite different from the striking black feathers and red bill of an adult Common Moorhen. I also photographed some adults at the same pond, and they may well have been one of the parents of this young bird. I’ll return to that encounter in a future post.

For now, though, I was happy just to have this quiet encounter with a juvenile Common Moorhen — all because I was willing to sit still and wait.

---

If you enjoy wildlife photography and stories from unexpected places, visit the blog for more photographs from my walks and outdoor adventures.