Monday 4 January 2016

Glad to report that the Black Swan is back from Regent's Park. Here he is preening his ruffles at the east end of the Serpentine ...


... and here he is joined by his girlfriend, who has been cruising around with her wings raised to show that she is again a swan of importance.


A short way off, a couple of Mute Swans were also showing signs of affection.


Jorgen Schiott sent in this interesting picture of an odd-looking Mallard on the Serpentine. He wonders whether it is a hybrid, perhaps with a Gadwall, and mentions that its plumage has fine striations like that of a Gadwall.


I am not sure about that. Ordinary Mallards also have some striated plumage, as you can see in this picture of one having an enthusiastic wash.


One of the pair of Grey Herons on the island was on its nest when I first went passed, but later both of them crossed the lake to the Lido for a bit of fishing.


A Black-Headed Gull was hovering around, trying to grab a fish from a Cormorant that was having difficulty separating it from a strand of algae. The Cormorant managed to get its fish out and swallow it.


A flock of Long-Tailed Tits was moving along the edge of the Serpentine near the Triangle car park. They have been visiting the shrubbery here every day for some time.


A Great Tit was singing on Buck Hill.


There were some Mistle Thrushes looking for worms in the grass on Buck Hill, but when the ambulance helicopter landed there they flew into a tree.


The park birds are no longer worried by this helicopter, which visits daily and is now part of the scene. Buck Hill is the usual pickup point for Central London casualties requiring urgent attention.

22 comments:

  1. Yay! He's back! I'm not the least ashamed to confess that this piece of news has made my day.

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  2. A gorgeous picture of the return of the Black Swan - he is almost swaggering with pride to be back.
    Marie

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    1. And so is his girlfriend, who is acting like a completely different bird.

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  3. all hail the black swan! i confess to being a fan too. so handsome.regent's park wasn't good enough for him. only the serpentine will do. a bird of taste & distinction ?
    Mark W2

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    1. All the birds in our park are here because they want to be. It's the land of liberty.

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  4. Hi Ralph, sorry to be such a bother but would appreciate a reply to yesterday's comment. I know you guys are an hour ahead of us so maybe you haven't gotten around to it yet. I would also like to chime in saying how glad I am that the big black boy is back. Would have hated to chase him through half of London when I get there. ;-)
    Again, not trying to be pushy or anything. I am just e.x.c.i.t.e.d. about my upcoming trip so hoping I won't miss your reply before I leave. BTW if you cannot make it please let me know also so I can weep a bit before flying...

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    1. Sorry not to have replied earlier. I'm in the park every day. All you need to do is to be on the south side of the leaf yard at about 11.30 am and look for a tall, tatty black-clad figure carrying a camera with a long lens.

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    2. Wonderful, Ralph - thanks much! I will be there. Maybe I can even make it on Thursday although we are having heavy snow so the plane into Gatwick might be delayed. Looking forward to seeing you!

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  5. Pleased to hear the black swan is back. I was wondering about the Parks management's reason for the removal - could it be a concern about hybrids? I am aware that with mammals at least, wildlife managers consider hybridisation to be A Bad Thing.

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    1. We don't know what happened. I assumed that the people at Regent's Park, where there are captive Black Swans, considered that this one belonged to them and took him back. That's what happens to the one flying Bar-Headed Goose in Regent's Park, though in this case the bird is usually recaptured within a day of arrival on the Serpentine.

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  6. Thrilled about the Black Swan's triumphant return!

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  7. Regents Park? What was he thinking? :-)

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    1. Unsure whether he was taken there by the park keepers. It seems likely that he was hatched there anyway.

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  8. I think that the very top, introductory picture of the grebes may be changed to the Black Swan at the moment.
    Great to know he is back!

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    1. Oh no, I'd never abandon my grebe picture. Grebes are special.

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  9. Who would have thought there could be so much action and drama in the park! Thank you for the telling and sharing. Love the images too.

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  10. I agree that the Grebe picture cannot be removed, no matter what the Black Swan does.
    Excellent pictures again Ralph!

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