Monday 15 June 2015

The Grey Wagtails nesting under the bridge have bred successfully and have three young, following their parents around and begging for food. Today they were on the pontoons where the Serpentine bridge is being repaired. Here is one of the young ones.


On the other side of the bridge a Wren was collecting insects for its chicks.


There are several other families of small birds in this immediate area: Goldcrests, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Robins, and they will possibly be joined by a Reed Warbler family, since there is activity in the small reed bed next to the bridge.

There is definitely a pair of Hobbies in Kensington Gardens, not just one. They were flying around in the tall plane tree avenue near the Physical Energy statue.


The Coots' nest in the dead willow tree near the Italian Garden was briefly taken over by a pair of Great Crested Grebes, but the Coots took it back as they generally do, through sheer persistence. They have now built it up and settled down properly to their duties.


The Canada Geese on the Long Water, now down to three goslings, were going dangerously near the big gulls on the posts near Peter Pan. It is not hard to tell what is going through this Herring Gull's mind.


The top end of the Long Water is now choked with that stringy plant whose name I can't remember. A Great Crested Grebe surfaced through it, festooned with weed ...


... and a Grey Heron trying to catch a fish came up with a beakful of green strings instead.


Both were fishing here because the fish like to hide in the shelter of the floating weed.

One of the Dunnocks at the Lido was foraging on the shore, and looked shyly out from under the railings.


This is the first picture of the bold Nuthatch coming to someone's hand. It was kindly sent to me Arjun Dutta, who took it as the bird landed on the hand of his eight-year-old sister.

2 comments:

  1. The weed is Horned Pondweed (Zannichellia palustris). (Or at least that is what I fished out in front of Peter Pan).
    Mario

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    1. Thanks very much for the information. I think it's the same plant all over both lakes.

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