Thursday 13 March 2014

One of the pair of Little Owls was in the same tree as yesterday, to the delight of several people who had come to see it.


There is no sign of the original pair of Little Owls near the leaf yard, despite the warm sunshine which should bring them out to bask. We are beginning to wonder whether they have found a different tree.

The male Tawny Owl was in his usual place, which for most of the day is out of direct sunlight that would dazzle him. He looked down for a few moments and went back to sleep.


The pair of Mute Swans on the Long Water are very affectionate, but don't seem to have settled on a nest site yet.


The prime site on the Serpentine island is still vacant, and it is not impossible that they will seize it. There are some very tough swans on the Serpentine to overcome, but none of them seems to be making any move towards nesting.

A Ring-Necked Parakeet was eating plum blossom in a tree on the north side of the Serpentine near the bridge.


Or at least I think it is plum blossom. This tree produces a lot of red fruit in autumn slightly too large to be a cherry, and it seems to be some kind of small plum.

A female Gadwall at Peter Pan was displaying beautiful markings.


Of course she was heavily outshone by a nearby male Mandarin, as gaudy as a duck could possibly be.


There has been no sign of Redwings on the Parade Ground for several days, and it seems likely that they have moved on. There is still a chance that a Wheatear or two might turn up, as they did last year. But today there was nothing in the roped-off area but a few Feral Pigeons and some squirrels.

2 comments:

  1. hi ralph

    so glad i made it down to the parade fground two days ago and saw the redwings (& got very close. close enough for naked eye). so helpful to have your expert guidance. i also spotted the gadwall today & she does have exquisite markings especially on the breast. most enjoyable. i remember last year you saw a kingfisher near the italian gdns. was it about this time of year? i've been looking but no luck. have also found the little grebe very elusive since seeing it last.
    Mark W2

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  2. The Kingfisher appeared at the Italian Gardens on 20 March last year, but I wouldn't count on it ever coming there again. Little Grebes go round and round the lake, and you just have to catch them when they're passing.

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