Wednesday 24 May 2017

The young Grey Heron was down from the tree and exploring the island.


The Great Crested Grebe chick from the island is growing well.


The Coots' nest under the willow tree near the bridge has hatched out. The chicks are hard to see but there are at least five.


Another pair of Coots were engaged in what for Coots is courtship -- eating each other's parasites. It also provides a meal.


The rings on one of the Coots were put on by Bill Haines, who is doing a project on the movements of Coots and Moorhens in and around London.

The Mute Swan on the nest near the outflow of the lake was standing over her eggs, and remained in this position for some time. She was clearly hot in the sunshine -- you can see her panting -- and evidently felt her eggs were getting too hot as well.


The Red-Crested Pochard gave me a red look.


The Canada Goose families were together on the south shore of the Serpentine.


A Carrion Crow was cooling off by bathing.


So was a young Starling. It may be its first bath, but it knows what to do.


Thanks to David Element for this fine picture of a Robin sunbathing.


This is the same Reed Warbler as in yesterday's picture. He is unusually confident, and stayed visible for some time.


The flower beds in the Rose Garden have been dug up for another planting, and a Magpie was exploring the freshly turned earth for worms.


The Little Owl at the leaf yard was on another part of his usual branch, but as usual the view was obstructed from all angles.


There were damselflies in front of the reed bed near the bridge, both Common Blue and Blue-Tailed. I think this unusually pale one is a female Common Blue. Usually females are light brown.


A flower beetle was climbing up a lamb's ear flower in the Rose Garden. I know the species of the flower, Stachys lanata, but not that of the beetle.

6 comments:

  1. How much ore endearing could the picture of the Great Crested Grebe chick can be? Not much more!

    You can depend on Coots' always doing something of interest. They conduct their courting business monkey-style.

    How hot was it today at the Park? The White Storks here are beginning to cover their legs with their own white excrement (to reflect heat, as it happens), and they are shielding their chicks with their bodies' shadow, meaning we've cleared the 32ºC mark. And it's not even June.

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    Replies
    1. It was only 26°C here. But we are northern creatures, easily overheated.

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    2. I am a Southern creature, much to my chagrin, and I overheat with the best of them!
      This just in: a very funny video of a policeman being chased in circles by a very angry swan:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to0Sw8eAe6o

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    3. That's a Bewick's Swan, or possibly a Whooper Swan -- can't be seen for sure from the blurred video. More agile than our Mute Swans, but just as stroppy.

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  2. There is a video from a different angle here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cLKnZ6lgOk

    It looks to me like a Whooper Swan?
    I had to look up 'stroppy'. It is a delicious word.

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