Thursday 3 July 2014

The Great Crested Grebes' nest on the east side of the Vista has at least three eggs in it, as you can just see in this distant picture of the pair changing places.


 Opposite Peter Pan, another pair were trying to take over a Coots' nest -- you can see that it is a substantial structure of twigs and not the sloppy mess that grebes make themselves.


The nest has not been used by the Coots recently, so the grebes may get away with this seizure. However, if the Coots want it back, they will probably get it. A Great Crested Grebe can beat a Coot in a straight fight, but it can't match a Coot's dogged persistence in coming back again and again in pursuit of its claim.

At the new Moorhens' nest in the Italian Gardens, one of the birds was bringing its partner a piece of reed. They changed places on the nest after this.


The two survivors of their previous brood are still alive, and were running around the waterlily leaves on another pond. However, the Coots at Peter Pan, and the Mallard in the same place, are now down to one each. The gulls have been busy.

There was a glimpse of a young Feral Pigeon in the small boathouse where the parents nested in the rafters. In this picture it is the one on the left. It was flapping its wings and making a great fuss.


The Coots' nest here is still occupied, and the female Mallard is still fussing about on the beam over the door where we think she too is nesting.

The eldest of the young Greylag goslings is beginning to grow proper flight feathers, which you can see here emerging in their blue wrappings.


There were plenty of Jays around the leaf yard. This one is looking rather dishevelled.


As usual on a sunny day, the Little Owl was basking on his favourite branch.


A Willow Warbler was singing in the bushes between the Lido restaurant and the Diana enclosure. But we couldn't see it, let alone photograph it.

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