Tuesday 27 October 2015

A yew bush near the Henry Moore sculpture had a Wren ...


... and a Song Thrush in it.


Although there are Wrens all over the park, easy to spot by the tremendous racket they make, there are sadly few Song Thrushes, and their numbers don't seem to have been boosted yet by the arrival of winter migrants. Numbers of Blackbirds and Mistle Thrushes also appear to be down.

An almost dead horse chestnut tree behind them had this elegant fungus on it.


I suppose it's a Chicken of the Woods, though it's browner than the usual bright yellow of this species. It slightly resembles the roof of Zaha Hadid's extension to the Magazine, which faces it across the path,  but the natural growth is far more beautiful than the slack curves of the building.

Update: Mario says it's a Dryad's Saddle (Polyporus squamosus).

The solitary young Egyptian Goose at the Round Pond is clinging to life. It was attended by both parents -- or at least they were hanging around in the same area.


Several hundred Starlings were whirling in formation over the pond on their evening manoeuvres. Here the low sunlight catches their undersides as they turn in unison. Although their numbers seem to be increasing, there are still too few for an impressive display. But it's a beautiful sight.


While the Black Swan is being extremely aggressive to the white Mute Swans, it is leaving the grey young ones in peace. Black Swans also have grey cygnets, so they tolerate juvenile birds of that colour.


A young Herring Gull was playing with a stone on the north shore of the Serpentine.


This may be the playful gull usually seen on the other side, since its usual area has been cleared by the fierce adult I photographed yesterday, which was still strutting up and down its bit of shoreline today.

The male Little Owl was on his favourite branch.


The female was in the other tree, but more visible than she usually is, and also calmer about having a camera pointed at her.

9 comments:

  1. The fungus is Dryad's saddle (Polyporus squamosus). You can just see the scaly top that gives it the alternative name of Pheasant's back.
    Mario

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Once more, thank you very much. Have added an update to the text.

      Delete
  2. Any sign or hoot of the Tawny Owls yet?
    Hopefully they reappear soon enough!
    Arjun

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One of them was seen about a month ago flying near the Albert Memorial. We have to wait for the leaves to fall off to have a chance of finding where they are spending their days now. Tony Duckett will be putting up two owl boxes near their old nest tree to try to tempt them back.

      Delete
  3. Hi Ralph, great blog! I've just moved to the area (well, Maida Vale) and was wondering if there ever are any guided bird walks in the two parks for newcomers? Any advice is much appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As far as I know there's only one guided walk, more of a short stroll, conducted by the LNHS once a year, and it's already happened this year. But I would be happy to take you round the main sights myself. I generally get into the park around 11.30 am.

      Delete
  4. That would be great, and thank you for offering! I'm planning to get down there on Sunday this week, where would you like to meet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Will 11.30 at the south end of the Serpentine bridge be OK for you? Please wear serious boots, as we shall be walking in wet grass.

      Delete
    2. No problems, I'll be there at 11:30 with my hiking boots on. Hopefully the weather won't turn nasty on us.

      Delete