tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post489611936606446573..comments2024-03-29T01:41:15.713+00:00Comments on Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park birds: Ralph Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-35107069619922627672018-03-16T19:50:52.438+00:002018-03-16T19:50:52.438+00:00Blue for boys, pink for girls. Easy to remember.Blue for boys, pink for girls. Easy to remember.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-1958065416974249222018-03-16T17:27:11.024+00:002018-03-16T17:27:11.024+00:00Well I never. I was walking around Kensington Gar...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!PollyGilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18106743398721079753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-27478030365160969722018-03-16T11:15:42.466+00:002018-03-16T11:15:42.466+00:00Well done.Well done.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-67652669310902440212018-03-16T11:14:03.454+00:002018-03-16T11:14:03.454+00:00Thanks Ralph, I managed to find the owl in the tre...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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-50618051955943570802018-03-16T10:26:26.934+00:002018-03-16T10:26:26.934+00:00It's the enclosure with Peter Pan on the side ...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'.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-91994270972090440382018-03-16T09:56:17.290+00:002018-03-16T09:56:17.290+00:00Hi Ralph, I'm visiting London and actually in ...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 owlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-40991363909958053242018-03-16T05:00:12.001+00:002018-03-16T05:00:12.001+00:00Yes, I saw the ring but couldn't read it while...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.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-65850741873096926892018-03-16T04:55:31.993+00:002018-03-16T04:55:31.993+00:00Nice footage of the Mandarins. Note that the drake...Nice footage of the Mandarins. Note that the drake on the rail is ringed. Are they becoming more numerous in the park these days?Conehead54https://www.blogger.com/profile/18423862602236191493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-11624375866204282572018-03-15T20:38:51.447+00:002018-03-15T20:38:51.447+00:00Wrens do seem to put one foot in front of the othe...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.<br /><br />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.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-2231070261570116182018-03-15T20:06:14.821+00:002018-03-15T20:06:14.821+00:00Is the Wren walking, or did you catch it mid-hop? ...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.<br /><br />Amazing that the Mandarin Duck should be able to perch, even if precariously, on the rail with those webbed feet of his.TinĂºvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794275230697959519noreply@blogger.com