Friday 19 May 2017

There is a new brood of eight Mandarin ducklings on the Long Water. Their mother was leading them across the dangerous open gap at Peter Pan into the safety of the bushes. Too many Herring Gulls were eyeing them from the posts.


There were ten Canada goslings together on the Serpentine. It is now difficult to tell which goslings belong to which family, but I found other broods as well as this, and think that it really is a brood of ten rather than a combined one. Only one pair of adults was leading them.


The combined family of Greylags have lost two, but still have eight between them.


I hadn't realised till today that there were two Mute Swan families on the Serpentine as well as the one on the Long Water. The one on the north side has four cygnets ...


... and the one on the south side has five.


The swan nesting at the east end of the Lido bathing area was staring suspiciously at a Magpie looking for insects in the nest.


Virginia sent me this pleasing picture of a Coots' nest on the edge of the Round Pond. They seem to have assembled everything they will need for summer.


The young Grey Heron on the island was in the middle of a tree, flapping and calling for food. Its parent wasn't taking much notice.


A Grey Wagtail at the east end of the lake was upset about something, though I couldn't see what.


For several days there have been young Great Tits calling to be fed in the bushes beside the Long Water. Today I got the first photograph of one.


The young Long-Tailed Tits were also demanding food. Their orange eyelids blush red when they are excited by a parent appearing with insects for them.


One of the adult Coal Tits near the bridge came out to take a pine nut.


There was a Dunnock in the same tree.


A young Nuthatch appeared in the dark shadow of a bush in the leaf yard. It looks much like an adult, but it was uttering the begging cries of a fledgeling.


The Little Owl near the leaf yard had been preening, and was shaking out his wings to settle the feathers.


At last a young rabbit has appeared on the grass around the Henry Moore sculpture. It's more or less a teenager now, but there has been no sign of it before, or of any other young ones. Anyway, it's a hopeful sign.

4 comments:

  1. Have the Coots picked up a pair of sun glasses?! They really never cease to amaze me.

    So many lovely babies in today's pictures!

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    1. They seem to consider just about any object an interesting addition to their home décor.

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  2. Love your blog - self & partner have started visiting the park every other Monday & we always forget to check the blog for latest bird news. Another visitor told us about blog on a previous visit

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    1. Thanks. The blog is daily, so if you come on Monday you can check on Sunday. But please always comment on the latest post. If you comment on an old one, no one sees but me.

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