Sunday 27 May 2018

The female Little Owl who often sits in the oak tree near the Albert Memorial disappeared several weeks ago, and we hoped she was inside the hole hatching eggs. Today there was a Jackdaw in the hole ...


... and a Stock Dove perched on a branch in front of it.


This may mean that the owlets are now out of the nest. I listened for their hissing begging calls coming from nearby trees, but couldn't hear anything.

Near the tree, a Blackbird gathered insects to feed his nestlings.


The white-faced Blackbird near the Italian Garden preferred to wait for me to give her some sultanas.


The Blue Tits nesting in the lamp post behind the Lido were hard at work feeding their chicks.


Tom shot this fine slow-motion video of a Jay coming to take food from his hand.


The fence around the old field maple tree next to the leaf yard is now a perch for the local Magpies.


Carrion Crows enjoy landing on the weather vane above the Lido restaurant to make it spin.


The Mute Swan on the Serpentine kept a careful watch over her five cygnets as they ate algae at the edge of the lake.


The swan on the Long Water took her four cygnets to the safety of the little island.


The Canada Geese with 15 goslings bought them ashore to feed, unworried by the throng of Sunday visitors.


The mother saw off a Grey Heron that had come too close.


Greylag and Canada Goose families feed together quite amicably most of the time.


A close-up of the blond Egyptian gosling near the bridge.


One of the Egyptian families on the Serpentine was having a preening session. When the mother preens, the youngsters preen too.


One of the Great Crested Grebe chicks at the island was also copying its parent. The other was asleep.


The Coot nesting under the Dell restaurant parapet was keeping her chicks very close, and I could only see five. There are probably more now.

2 comments:

  1. I gather that preening is something they learn, at least partially, and not fully inherinted?

    It's almost a miracle that the Canadas should be keeping 15 goslings alive with so many hungry gulls.

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  2. The Canada goslings are looking like real teenagers now with their gangly, funny legs! Great watching them grow up.

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