It didn't deter the Shovellers on the Long Water. These are again immature males, but a brightly coloured adult drake could be seen in the distance and I will photograph him when he comes nearer.
A Red Crested Pochard drake lent a touch of colour to a drab day. He is now in full breeding plumage.
A pair of Mandarins at the Vista were very fond of each other, with the male gently nuzzling the female's neck.
The female Little Owl was sitting out in the rain, on the top of the pair's nest tree. She allowed me one quick picture before she dashed into the tree.
On the Serpentine, the pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull was sizing up some candidates for lunch. This is the male of the pair, an enormous bird whose particularly bright yellow legs show that he is in good condition on his nutritious diet. He is now in winter plumage, with black streaks on his head.
One of the Great Crested Grebe chicks was surprised by its parent surfacing right next to it.
I think we might be having pigeon-eating gulls in EC1 now: recently , a pigeon , run over by a car , was being dined on by an enormous gull. Who since then turns up regularly with a mate and 2 teenagers, waiting for the next road kill? Have not yet clocked on to doing it for themselves , I don't think. I guess it is learned behaviour?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Gulls pass on methods of obtaining food -- or, probably more exactly, successful gulls are copied by others.
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