coot & moorhen on same nest? (1 Viewer)

[xmartinx]

hi everyone.
i signed up today with the hope that someone here can explain what i have seen over the last few days.
during our regular dog walk on saturday, we crossed a bridge over a storm drain, on looking down to the water we saw a nest with 4 speckled eggs in it,
there was a black, duck sized bird close to it with a white head & beak, on our way back home the bird was on the nest. got home, googled water birds & identified it as a coot.
on sunday we walk past again & see a similar bird, this time with a red beak sitting on the eggs. this one appears to be a moorhen.
today, monday, the coot was back on the nest.
is it possible that a coot & a moorhen would incubate the same eggs?
the nest is against the concrete side of the drain & appears to be floating..
Martin..

 

[xmartinx]

today i took my camera with us. what i thought was a coot appears to have a yellow beak, not white.. so obviously not a coot?
hopefully tomorrow i'll get a picture of the red beaked version -)
any ideas what they are ??
thanks..

 

[Clive A]

today i took my camera with us. what i thought was a coot appears to have a yellow beak, not white.. so obviously not a coot?
hopefully tomorrow i'll get a picture of the red beaked version -)
any ideas what they are ??
thanks..

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100786&highlight=moorhen
Check out this thread.

 

[Fstopped]

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100786&highlight=moorhen
Check out this thread.

The odds of a Coot letting anything near its nest are slim to nil. I've seen them try to chase off Canada Geese before now.

Never seen or heard of a yellow beaked Moorhen though. Will have to keep an eye out - we get enough of them in the local park that there's a chance of turning one up.

 

[xmartinx]

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100786&highlight=moorhen
Check out this thread.

thanks for that Clive, that seems to be what it is, a yellow billed moorhen..