Saturday 8 July 2017

The Carrion Crows are adept at hauling bags out of the park rubbish bins and extracting their contents to see if anything is edible. They were particularly interested in a McDonalds Happy Meal box.


The Great Crested Grebes near the bridge were feeding their chicks next to a patch of algae, hauling up fish ...


... after fish ...


... after fish.


The grebes on the Serpentine at the island are finding it much harder to feed their family. Probably this explains why grebes prefer to nest on the Long Water if they can find a place.


At the other currently active nest on the Long Water, it was changeover time. The sitting bird was clearly feeling the head, and had a good flap after standing up.


The Black Swan came over to the shore of the Serpentine.


He is now on equal terms with the Mute Swans, and relations are mostly peaceful. But he still gets more than his share when people are feeding the swans.


The four cygnets of the Mute Swan family near the bridge are unusually independent, and both times I passed them they were cruising around while their parents were a hundred yards away.


There is a new brood of Mallards near the Diana fountain. Their mother was sensibly keeping the ducklings in the shelter of the landing stage.


This strategy is working well for the Coots under the platform of Bluebird Boats, who have kept their five chicks safe for a remarkable time in spite of the many hungry gulls.


In contrast, the exposed Coot nest in the middle of the Long Water hasn't produced any chicks, and I don't think it ever will. But it was tastefully ornamented with a crisp packet.


A young Moorhen walked along the edge of the lake. They avoid getting their enormously long toes caught on the opposite ankle by clenching them together when they raise the foot.


The female Little Owl near the leaf yard was on a branch where it was very hard to get a clear view of her.


Although midsummer has brought a glut of insects, Robins are still keen to come to my hand and collect all the pine nuts they can carry.

2 comments:

  1. How positively envious I am of the Robin. I've had no luck so far trying to get them to come to the hand. Lovely to be able to see one in July, too.

    That video of the crows trying to eat from the Happy Meal box in an orderly and peaceful manner is great. They are much more disciplined in getting their meal than many tourists are.

    I was very happy to see last entry's picture of the abandoned Grebe chick fending so well on its own. I think he may be out of danger now.

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  2. Hope you succeed with your Robins eventually. It's easier in the park, where the bold Great Tits demonstrate to the other birds that humans holding food can be trusted.

    It would be interesting to see a branch of McDonalds where the people were behaving like Carrion Crows, pecking each other out of the way. Or maybe they do -- I've never been in one.

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