When I went to feed the other Coal Tit at the Rima relief, a pair of Blue Tits were bathing in the little shallow pool at the back at the enclosure.
Epstein's portrayal of Rima is a tribute to the naturalist and bestselling novelist W.H. Hudson. Rima is the heroine of his daft romance Green Mansions, a wild girl in the South American rainforest who speaks the language of birds. She wears more clothes in the book than here, having woven them herself out of spider webs. Setting that aside, I think that the very shallow pools at the relief were probably made deliberately to be a bathing and drinking place for small birds, and in that way commemorate Hudson's more serious role. The bird sanctuaries in the park -- here, beside the Long Water, and in the Dell -- were enclosed just after his death in 1922 as a further tribute, and very useful they have been.
The male Mute Swan on the Long Water was chasing his own offspring.
I don't think he is intending to kick them out yet, because when I went past Peter Pan again later he was sitting quite peacefully beside all seven of them. Probably one of them had done something to annoy this irascible bird.
This pair of Great Crested Grebes on the Long Water are not the same as the very dark pair one of whom was pictured yesterday, so there must be two pairs on the Long Water, both already in breeding plumage.
I am sure that there is only one pair on the Serpentine. It is normal for their numbers to dwindle in winter as some of them go to the Thames, and those that left will be back in the spring.
A couple of Pied Wagtails were running about on the new gravel-topped tarmac at the edge of the Round Pond, whose rough surface has now attracted enough tiny bugs to interest them. I can't see what it is they are finding here -- just tiny black specks.
The male Tawny Owl stayed in his tree all day, and when I went past a few minutes before sunset there were a lot of Jays and Magpies in the branches above the nest hole, screaming at him.
They gave up and left, and he emerged just as the last rays of the sun faded from the top of the tree.
Sad to say, another of the young Egyptian Geese has been killed by a dog illegally let loose by its stupid owner. Here are the remaining six with their parents, a picture taken while I was waiting for the owl to appear.
Allowing a dog to harass wildfowl is not just against the park regulations: it is a crime under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and incurs prosecution, a court appearance and a stiff fine. If you see anyone allowing their dog to do this, you are within your rights in photographing the incident and the owner's face and giving the pictures to the parks police, who take these crimes very seriously.
It's gutting about the loss of another gosling. They had done such a brilliant job raising their large brood. I can't understand why dog owners are so stupid and irresponsible. However, to end on a positive note, the Grebes are lovely as always, and I have been having very interesting discussions with friends about how Grebes got to Madagascar (and Herons to the Galapagos).
ReplyDeleteGreat Crested Grebes can live at sea. Little Grebes can't. That is why the former have crossed Wallace's Line and are found in Australia and New Zealand, while the latter have not, and the local Tachybaptus species is different -- the Australasian Grebe, T. novaehollandiae.
DeleteFascinating, thank you. One science friend suggested glaciation leading to lower sea levels, and the emergence of land bridges as an explanation....but that was later shouted down in favour of the birds simply flying to these islands!
DeleteCould you explain how to tell the difference between male and female Great Crested Grebes? However much I look at a pair, I can never tell them apart!
ReplyDeleteTypically, the male is slightly bigger and beefier. He has a broader skull, so that his top crest forms a fairly wide V. Typically, the female has a narrower crest. However, there are lots of intermediates and you can't always tell. Both sexes behave in exactly the same way, and even take turns to go on top when mating. Probably the grebes themselves don't know what sex they are and often make mistakes in pairing up. If there are no eggs, the couple dissolves and the birds look for new mates.
DeleteThank you Ralph. I'll study them carefully
ReplyDeleteReally interesting. Thanks for the opportunity to eavesdrop! Garden absolutely humming with sparrows today. What a cheerful sight!
ReplyDeleteIs the Tawny's tree still the one between the Speke Monument and Physical Energy? And could you give me some direction as to where to find the Little Owls please?
ReplyDeleteYes, the Tawnies' tree is still the same one. And the male owl was in the chestnut tree just to the north of it yesterday.
DeleteTo find the Little Owl, start at the leaf yard, the fenced enclosure with the statue of Peter Pan on its east side. At the southeast corner of this enclosure there is an old battered chestnut tree. Look for the next one, a few yards away to the southwest. Then look for the one after that, at a slightly greater distance and up the hill a bit. It has brambles round its base. The next chestnut tree up the hill from this is where the Little Owls are at the moment, One of them may be out on a branch on a warm day, or otherwise in a large hole near the broken top of the trunk, visible from the north side.
Why have you put a query on a four-month-old post? Please always put these on today's post.
Oops, sorry! This was the post that opened when I checked your blog - I didn't notice that it was an old one. But thanks for the info!
ReplyDelete