Thursday 15 March 2018

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming at the top of a tall plane tree near the Physical Energy statue.


A Coal Tit sang near Queen's Gate. The pair were interested in being fed, but didn't quite dare to come down to my hand. If they stay here, they will probably pluck up courage in a few days after watching the other tits feeding.


A Dunnock appeared unexpectedly on a bramble at the foot of Buck Hill.


On the other side of the path a Goldcrest was jumping around in the bushes.


The usual Wren was in a flower bed in the Flower Walk, not in the least worried by the camera.


A Starling at the edge of the Serpentine gleamed in the weak sunshine. It's female, as you can tell by the faint pink tinge at the base of its bill. On male Starlings it's bluish.


A Grey Heron stretched on a post near the island. Its other leg is under its wing.


The Egyptian Goose in the stolen heron nest was preening smugly.


The Egyptians at the Round Pond have managed to keep their four goslings alive for another day, helped by an absence of Herring Gulls. The parents look watchful, but may forget what they are doing if another Egyptian approaches, when they abandon the young to chase it away.


The white Mallard was under the balcony of the Dell restaurant, with his male companion almost invisible behind him in the shadows.


Six Mandarins were running around on the path in front of the Peter Pan statue. Only one was female. Probably several females are nesting in tree holes.


The Mute Swan nesting on the artificial island in the Serpentine was pulling up more reeds. The swans have destroyed half the island now, and if it isn't mended this year it will probably fall to pieces. I have mentioned this to Tony Duckett twice.


Today it was the turn of the female owl at the leaf yard to perch on the edge of the nest hole. She is now much less shy than her mate, and stared calmly down while I photographed her, then went to sleep.


It's always the female owl on the edge of the hole in the lime tree near the Henry Moore sculpture. Her mate is seldom seen, and always in a different place or on a different tree.

10 comments:

  1. Is the Wren walking, or did you catch it mid-hop? I've seen few Wrens in my life from up close, so I really don't know if they walk or hop.

    Amazing that the Mandarin Duck should be able to perch, even if precariously, on the rail with those webbed feet of his.

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    1. Wrens do seem to put one foot in front of the other, but I'm not sure whether it's walking in the way that a Starling or a Pied Wagtail does. See the video on Monday's blog post.

      Mandarins have proper claws on their webbed feet, which help them perch on the trees where they nest. But that drake doesn't look fully at home on the railing when it turns round.

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  2. Nice footage of the Mandarins. Note that the drake on the rail is ringed. Are they becoming more numerous in the park these days?

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    1. Yes, I saw the ring but couldn't read it while the drake was rushing about. Mandarins come and go between the Long Water and their main habitat, the Regent's Canal between Paddington and Regent's Park. They can breed successfully in this murky but sheltered stretch of water with lots of undergrowth and few Herring Gulls. I suppose that they are all descendants of birds in the Regent's Park collection, but they are compeletely feral now.

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  3. Hi Ralph, I'm visiting London and actually in Hyde Park now. Where exactly is the Leaf Yard at? I'd like to see the owl

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    1. It's the enclosure with Peter Pan on the side facing the lake. Stand on the path facing the statue Walk to your left till you reach the corner of the railings. Look up the hill for an old broken chestnut tree with brambles round the base. The owl may be in this tree -- view from the far side. For the other owl trees, search the *web* version of the blog for 'map'.

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  4. Thanks Ralph, I managed to find the owl in the tree. I'd earlier inspected it because the crows seemed agitated about it. Probably the owl.

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  5. Well I never. I was walking around Kensington Gardens this morning wondering how to tell the difference between a male and female starling.... and now I know. Thanks for all the useful information you generously impart via the blog!

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    1. Blue for boys, pink for girls. Easy to remember.

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