The rain didn't deter some Starlings from making themselves even wetter.
Only three of the brood of four Egyptian Geese survive, but they include the blond one, on the left here showing clear signs of growing into the unusual white-headed pattern with no eye patch. There are two Egyptians like this in the park, both female but this may be chance. The young ones are quite large now.
So far, there is no sign of any other broods of Egyptians in this difficult year. I have never yet managed to see an Egyptian Goose nest. They are said to be in tree holes; they would need a pretty big hole, but of course there are lots of hollow trees in the park for them to choose from. Their habit of perching on top of dead trees seems to have more to do with display than with actually making a nest.
There are two broods of Greylag Geese: one of three (originally four, they lost one), and another of seven, which I photographed on Sunday. Today they were both near the Serpentine island, but keeping separate. Canada Geese often share their child-care arrangements, but I haven't seen Greylags doing this.
There was a Goldcrest near the Serpentine bridge.
It must be quite difficult for such a small bird in heavy rain, where every drop threatens to completely douse it. No wonder they are so often seen in dense evergreens that provide some degree of shelter.
A Treecreeper was also visible on the usual oak tree at the southwest corner of the leaf yard.
They are so often on this tree that I think they must have a nest higher up it, and out of sight. There was also a Great Spotted Woodpecker in an adjacent tree.
Sorry that this has been a dull day's reporting. I hope that there will be more action, and less rain, tomorrow.
thanks for your report ralph. interesting as ever. amazed by your picture of the goldcrest. ive only managed to see them in the yew tree near the path by the fallen chestnut tree & then right in the middle of it.
ReplyDeleteyou're a braver man than i getting out in today's weather. fit for ducks only!
Mark W2
Thanks for your comment. There are sometimes reasonable chances to photograph a Goldcrest at the NW corner of the Serpentine bridge on the lakeside path, and anywhere on the path separating the Serpentine from the Dell. I have never managed to get a decent shot when one was in a yew tree -- the foliage is just too dense.
ReplyDeletethanks for the tip. i do look out for them there since reading your reports. btw i saw a great tit visiting a hole in one of the iron lampposts at the lower end of the dell roughly opposite the granite monument taking nesting material in and out, but the hole was at knee level not up in the crown as you photographed. seemed very unwise to nest there but i'm not a great tit. but as with your stories of the egyptian geese sometimes the creatures in nature aren't as smart as maybe they should be? a bit like human beings i suppose!
DeleteMark W2
The hole at the top of the lamp standard can only admit a Blue Tit, I think. Anyway, I have only seem Blue Tits nesting here. But a hole lower down, where an access panel has fallen off, would be more spacious and would admit a larger bird. If the nest is well recessed and inaccessible, it might not be a bad place.
DeleteMay I add a third congratulation on your Goldcrest shot? Also the Tree Creeper has much better definition of its plumage than the ones you and I took a year ago on a brighter day.
ReplyDeleteNot dull at all. How long-legged the Egyptian youngsters look (they're the first ones for me) ! And really enjoyed the bathing blackbirds.
ReplyDeleteoops, starlings of course.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your blog also Ralph!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to visit the park tomorrow and would love to see an owl - where is the best place to look?
Many thanks - and keep the blogs coming!
Thank you. You may be able to see the male Little Owl, though the Tawny Owls have long since vanished into the leaves. It's always hard to describe the position of a tree; the best way I can do it is as follows. Starting at the Serpentine bridge, walk northwards up the west side of the Long Water as if you were going to the Peter Pan statue. When you get to the corner of the shrubbery which contains Peter Pan, but you are still 50 yards short of the statue, you will see an old broken-down sweet chestnut tree just a few feet from the railings. Look back over your left shoulder to the next sweet chestnut, which is next to a fork in the path. From here, look up the hill to a third sweet chestnut. This is the tree in which the Little Owls are nesting. The branch in which the male owl usually sits is on the far side of the tree from your viewpoint, branching horizontally off the broken trunk about 15 ft from the top. The growing leaves make viewing harder, but not yet impossible. The Little Owl is more likely to be out on his branch if the sun is shining (which it won't be tomorrow, I think), and is also more likely to be seen early in the morning than later. However, he pops in and out at unpredictable times. If you miss him once, try again later.
DeleteThanks Ralph - much appreciated!
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