that rarest of creatures....a tree climbing coot

[SelkirkAlex]

the sheep will be joining them soon

[Snoop Puss]

Is the water a bit cold?!

[Jungle Jane]

Moorhens nest in trees sometimes,my parents have some living on their pond they chased a rabbit away once

[chris_m]

I've seen ducks roosting on branches before, I'm sure it's harder for them because their feet are even less suited to gripping.

Mind you, some ducks nest in trees - I remember seeing footage of a Mandarin Duck getting her ducklings out of the nest, 20-odd feet up in a hole in a tree. She just flew down to the ground, called them and out they came.
The fact that they couldn't even fly yet didn't deter them, they all came down, bounced three or four times, picked themselves up and followed Mum ;-)

[Kirk]

They're Moorhens, coots are a bit bigger and have a white bit not a red bit.
No idea what the "bit" is actually called.
Still all I have seen tend to be on the water or running out of my way to get back to it. And honestly I don't know of a single Moorhen recipe.

Where I am it is almost all Moorhens whereas 20 miles South in the Lee Valley there seem to be more Coots then Moorhens.

[SelkirkAlex]

there is a south african recipe, coot or moorhen, add lots of garlic and onion to draw the muddy taste, put a brick in big pot and boil the whole lot for a week, drain and separate the brick, throw everything else away and eat the brick

[DannyK]

They're Moorhens, coots are a bit bigger and have a white bit not a red bit.
No idea what the "bit" is actually called.

Cere......

[DWSmith]

Based upon the subject line for this thread I expected to see a picture of one of our fine members up a tree.

[veggiechicken]

I can think of one old coot here................and its not me