Tuesday 11 October 2016

Another two Common Gulls have arrived on the Serpentine, and adult and a first-year bird beginning to grow its pale grey feathers.


The one on the Round Pond was looking elegant on the solar panel.


A Black-Headed Gull was eating a Wren in the Italian Garden. Judging by the state of the unfortunate bird, it had been dead for a while before the gull found it.


The younger Great Crested Grebe chicks on the Serpentine are still pestering their parents for food. The parent felt that it could do its own fishing now, and chased it away.


A pair of Pied Wagtails were running around on the roof of Bluebird Boats, calling to each other. The female looked over the edge for a moment.


A Blackbird beside the Long Water had a choice of blackberries and holly berries, and chose blackberries.


Several more were feeding in the rowan tree on Buck Hill.


A Blue Tit was looking for insects in the Rose Garden.


So was a Robin, not worried by some formidable thorns.


A clump of pampas grass in the garden had attracted a greenbottle fly.


A few more Jays are beginning to come out after their task of burying acorns and nuts for the winter.


The male Little Owl near the leaf yard was looking out of his hole during a sunny spell.

9 comments:

  1. Hi Ralph, there is a limping young moorhen nearby the boathouse kiosk ( on the food vending side ), when he swims he drags his leg behind. He was eating though.

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    1. I saw it too, but on the other side of the lake. Probably the result of a fight with a Coot.

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    2. Which apparently gives an answer to the age-old question: what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

      That poor Wren. It's a disturbing picture. I know, Nature red in tooth and claw, and yet I cannot accept that my beloved little fluffy spheric Wrens should ever come to any harm.

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    3. Two successive mild winters here have produced an awful lot of Wrens -- which shows what happens to them in a normal winter. Usually we don't see the casualties.

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  2. The park manager was looking out for the moorhen last week as someone reported it but I do fear that they may have to put it down, I can't imagine there is enough money to treat them especially where damaged leg is involved but it might still improve.

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  3. SUPER photo of the Blackbird with a blackberry and the holly berries and blackberries in the background!!!

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  4. With reference to the injured Moorhen which drags its right leg. I saw this Moorhen about a couple of months ago (I presume the same one) which is usually the other side of the lake and has managed OK for all that time. It does not appear to be in pain and can manage. Do you have to catch it and "put it down" just because it has a limp? Please make sure before anything is done to it.

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