Monday 26 February 2018

There was a brief but heavy snow shower in the late morning. Black-Headed Gulls take such things in their stride.


There were at least a dozen Gadwalls on the Serpentine, far more than usual. Maybe the freezing of another lake has brought them in. Both the Serpentine and the Long Water were still ice-free today, on account of the brisk east wind.


Fran sent this excellent picture of Mute Swans fighting on the Long Water, where the dominant swan often has to get violent to keep his territory clear of intruders.


This is a hastily snatched and rather indistinct view of Great Crested Grebes mating on a nest under a tree beside the Long Water. Both enjoy the brief moment. Note the courtesies afterwards.


The Redwings were between the Dell and the Rose Garden again. By the time I shot this, it had more or less stopped snowing and the frozen ground had thawed a bit, so the worm hunt could carry on.

The pair of Mistle Thrushes near the Serpentine Gallery were also at work.


Not snow but couscous. Visitors have strange ideas about what birds like, or more likely just don't think. Moorhens will eat just about anything.


The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull had claimed a new victim near the Dell restaurant.


On the opposite shore, a pair of Carrion Crows were finishing off the remains of his previous meal. If the crow on the left can get plenty of nutritious pigeon, its next set of wing feathers will be shining black instead of the bleached grey that indicates a poor diet.


Next to them, a Pied Wagtail ran around looking for insect larvae.


The cold snap can't stop spring from happening. In the Rose Garden, a Blue Tit perched among newly sprouted rose leaves.


The Robin who owns the tree with the feeder looked over his territory.


A pair of Dunnocks hopped around underneath the feeder picking up spillage.


This fine picture of a Coal Tit is by Mark Williams. It shows how tiny they are.


Sergey Anpilov sent a charming picture of a Long-Tailed Tit.


A Wren in the reed bed near the Lido gave an excellent impression of a dead leaf.

6 comments:

  1. Oh God, I'm going into cuteness overload with so many lovely pictures of small birds. I can't tell which one is my favourite.

    The snow shower seemed serious enough, no matter what the gulls might say. I hope you didn't catch a cold. I really wouldn't know how to deal with snow if it happened - I've seen snow twice in my life. How did you cope with it during your visit to the park?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can't do anything about snow. Just plod on.

      Delete
  2. Hello, I'm a visiting birder from Oxford and I'm curious about the Little Owl near the Albert Memorial, which I hope to see tomorrow. Where precisely is the tree where it is usually found and when does it usually show itself? Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See this map. There is no special time of day. Sunshine and rain both cause her to stand in her hole.

      Delete
  3. Lovely small bird photos. Weather prediction online shows London is in for even lower temperatures through tomorrow. Bravo to you all for getting out there in such weather with photo gear and keeping your fingers warm enough to click away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not been too bad, just a return to normal after several very mild winters. The media hullabaloo is ridiculous.

      Delete