Monday 4 February 2013


A slight hint of spring in the air, though it seems that we have to get through at least one more frosty spell before it materialises. The hazel catkins are coming out, and a Blackbird was singing -- they start later than most songbirds. The Stock Doves near the owls' nest tree were adding their monotonous call to the chorus. But there was no sign of the male owl again.

The Bearded Tits were in their usual place, looking irresistibly charming.


Their tail feathers are getting rather worn from constantly brushing against the swaying reeds. One of the watchers said to me, 'I was told to go to the Diana Memorial Reed Bed, and I thought, "At last, something useful. Not like that thing,"' gesturing over his shoulder at the ugly grey drain that is called a fountain.

One of the two pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gulls was on the prowl in the usual spot near the Dell restaurant. It is now in breeding plumage. The rich diet has made it wonderfully healthy looking, with brilliant custard-yellow bill and feet.


The Black-Headed Gulls have to content themselves with smaller prey. Here they vie for a chip that a generous diner at the Lido restaurant has offered them.


I went up Queensway and found the amazingly blasé Pied Wagtail running around among the bustling crowd of humans. I threw some pieces of cheese on the pavement for it, and it carried one right out into the busy road. Here it is on the yellow line. A moment later it had to leap out of the way of a car.


The bird tends to stand on one foot, holding the other up in a contracted position. Someone who knows it well told me that it is lame. But I watched it, and it was standing on either foot and holding the other one up. And it can run perfectly well. I think it may be getting sore feet from always running around on a hard surface. The wagtails in the park spend some time in the grass to give their feet a rest, but this is a purely urban bird.

2 comments:

  1. Your observations on the pigeon predation solved a mystery. On a couple of occasions I've seen the evidence - a stripped pigeon carcass near the lido and a full torso at the other end of the Serpentine - but was baffled by it. On both occasions the head was missing. It now makes sense. Many thanks for these observations and explanations, eg the tarsi, the Swan behaviour, the moor hen diet. They enrich the experience no end.
    Do the gulls ever go after other birds or is there something about pigeons that make them easy prey? I once saw a Pelican in St James's park suddenly scoop up a pigeon and have it struggle in the pouch for an interminable length of time, somewhat unnerving for me, no doubt much more so for the pigeon.

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  2. I have never seen the Lesser Black-Backed Gulls in the park prey on any birds other than pigeons, but apparently LBBs do eat other birds if they can. Well, really, they eat anything they can get. But the gulls in the park are used to pigeons, which provide a large and satisfying meal. And they are fairly good at catching them, though often the pigeon struggles free, as it did both times I caught an attack on camera. I have seen, but not photographed, a successful attack carried out by dropping off the restaurant roof on to a pigeon flying by underneath.

    Pelicans in St James's Park have been seen not only catching pigeons, but managing to swallow them. See these news items:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6083468.stm
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6098678.stm
    Sorry, I can't do live links in the comments, so you will have to copy and paste these.

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