Thursday 17 March 2016

Little Owls were visible in three places today: in the chestnut tree near the leaf yard ...


... in the oak tree near the Albert Memorial ..,.


... and in the lime on Buck Hill near the Henry Moore sculpture.


A Goldcrest in the yew tree near the bridge was carrying bits of moss. Evidently a pair are building a nest. Goldcrests nested in this tree last year.


Sorry about the dim photograph, taken in deep shadow.

A Wren was busily hopping about in a patch of brambles between the bridge and the Vista.


When Redwings are resting on the ground, they cock their heads sideways to scan the sky for raptors.


This is one of the flock near the bandstand in Hyde Park.

A Mistle Thrush was safe in a nearby tree, but was still keeping an eye on the sky.


A Carrion Crow beside the Serpentine was expertly opening a peanut and extracting the nuts in a couple of seconds. Its plumage was looking finely iridescent in the sunlight, with blue and purple lights.


Blackbirds are glossy, but they are not iridescent. This one was in a flower bed near the Lido.


The Black Swan was on his nest on the raft when girlfriend number one cruised by. He instantly launched himself into the water and they went off together to eat plants in the reed bed.

3 comments:

  1. That is one ferocious-looking tongue on the carrion crow.

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    1. 'If the crow is silent, it is well. But if it speaks, so it shall be.'
      --- Irish proverb. The coat of arms of County Dublin (not the city) shows a crow speaking, with the motto Beart do réir ár mbriathar , 'Action to match our speech.'

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    2. I'm afraid I find Gaelic pronunciation as inscrutable as corvid-speak.

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