Saturday 9 February 2019

The Egyptian Geese at the Henry Moore sculpture still have seven goslings. A gull passing overhead sent them running for cover.


The Great Crested Grebes at the east end of the island have assembled a rough kind of nest between two of the floating wire baskets.


They displayed next to it. But I don't think they're serious about nesting yet.


The pair under the willow next to the bridge aren't making any effort to build, just reserving their place.


A Mistle Thrush on the Parade Ground found plenty of worms.


There were also Fieldfares ...


... and Redwings, both keeping their distance.


There were more Redwings on a roped-off area of grass near the Albert Memorial.

Although it was a very windy day, the mild temperature had brought some people out on the restaurant tables. A Starling chattered to itself as it waited for a chance to grab some food.


A diner fed a Starling from his hand. This can be painful, as they have sharp beaks and peck hard.


Another Starling bathed in the Serpentine.


I had just refilled the feeder in the Rose Garden. A Chaffinch waited underneath for visiting tits to spill some seeds. A Blackbird strolled past, asking to be given a treat of sultanas.


A Long-Tailed Tit paused before going down to a feeder in the Dell.


The feeders here seem to be the only ones that Long-Tailed Tits visit. Maybe this is because it's one one of the flock's regular routes.

A Common Gull enthusiastically ate a little heap of oatmeal.


The young Grey Heron in the Dell played idly with a stalk, then went for a drink.


On Buck Hill, there was an encouraging sign of the approach of spring.

4 comments:

  1. I was in St James Park early today, down by the Duck Island Lodge, and was met by an Egyptian goose and it's last gosling, they seemed very hungry. Ominously they were being followed by a heron, which was probably hoping for scrambled gosling for breakfast. So the Henry Moore Geese aren't the only ones to mistime their offspring.

    Keep up the good work with the blog, I enjoy reading it every day.
    Paul.

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    1. It seems to be general in Egyptians to have no idea of the northern seasons. Their natural range is on both sides of the equator, from Egypt to the Cape.

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  2. Those Egyptians parents look attentive, and their babies fast on the feet, but if they have hopes of winning the speeding or maneuvring game against a gull, disaster will strike.

    How tame and friendly that Blackbird is! Are they in full song already over there? My alarm-clock of a Blackbird has already began to sing at full capacity at 4 in the morning.

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    1. Egyptians look attentive, but then suddenly they forget and start chasing another adult, leaving the young exposed.

      The Blackbirds in the park haven't started singing yet, but the one in the street at the back of my flat has been singing for a month.

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