Tuesday 26 September 2017

There was a Peregrine on the tower of the Household Cavalry Barracks, seen here for the first time since we spotted two here on 6 September.


There were several Chiffchaffs in the Rose Garden. Two of them sang during a sunny spell.


The female Little Owl was also enjoying the sunshine in her usual chestnut tree.


I could only find one Mistle Thrush in the rowan trees on Buck Hill.


A Robin in the Rose Garden defended his tree. There is a feeder in this tree which he visits, though he has difficulty hanging on to the perch, which was designed for the strong grasping feet of tits.


A Carrion Crow had a wash in the Serpentine and flew into a tree to dry and preen.


The second Lesser Black-Backed Gull is definitely killing Feral Pigeons. I passed it while it was walking through a crowd of them, not exhibiting the obvious hunting behaviour of the well known Lesser Black-Back, but clearly searching. When I went by again after a couple of hours, it had a pigeon and had eaten about half of it. At this time the other gull was busy hunting at the far end of the lake, so this was not a pigeon that had been stolen from it.


Here is a portrait shot of the gull, showing the distinctive pale greyish feet and marking on the bill.


This is the well known Lesser Black-Backed Gull, in his usual place at the east end of the Serpentine, spotting a group of Feral Pigeons washing and coming ashore to try to get one. He was unsuccessful. The point of this unremarkable clip is to show that he was busy while the second Lesser Black-Back had a pigeon, so that the second gull could not have stolen a freshly killed pigeon from him. This shows that the second gull is certainly killing pigeons for itself.


The new Great Crested Grebe family from the Long Water were on the Serpentine again, and one of the parents brought a fish to a chick.


But another chick seemed to have caught a fish by itself, as it was a considerable distance from either of it parents.


And this one was certaintly starting to try to feed itself. It was probing at the edge of the Serpentine, probably looking for snails in the algae.


Some Mute Swans charged down the Serpentine and hauled themselves into the air.


The Black Swan was taking it easy.


The colour of the feet of Greylag Geese is variable, mostly shades of pink or pinking orange. But this bright orange is unusual.

11 comments:

  1. Cavalry Monument Area: a FIRECREST today as per Nick Senior and 2 DUNLIN SW over the area. Good luck if you look for the firecrest early tomorrow

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Missed all the exciting things reported on the London Bird Club Wiki. But I saw the Peregrine and they didn't.

      Delete
  2. Then give yourself a pat on the back 😃

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's interesting that Chiffchaffs are singing well after the end of the breeding season

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They seem to sing out of season on mild sunny days. By no means the only birds to do this, of course -- Song Thrushes and Coal Tits often do.

      Delete
    2. I haven't heard one singing for a little while further down south, but there are plenty - even in gardens - constantly calling.
      Any sign or sound of the Cetti's Warbler(s) recently?

      Delete
    3. Yes, someone heard it yesterday, and I heard it myself four or five days ago. Cetti's Warblers sing right through the winter, but not often.

      Delete
  4. Is the new Pigeon Killer the offspring of the original Pigeon Killer? I suppose that is the likeliest explanation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Someone else suggested that to me as well. I think probably not, because it would be unlikely that a father with very bright yellow legs and a mother with normal legs would have offspring with abnormally pale legs. But chance plays a part, so it's possible. Personally, I think this gull watched the first pigeon killer, envied him and tried to copy him.

      Delete
  5. Congratulations on the evidence garnered establishing the second pigeon eater. Does it hang around a favourite area like the first at the Dell Restaurant? Was this instance near the Triangle?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's pretty consistently on the shore at the east end of the Triangle.

      Delete