The pair of Mute Swans seen yesterday displaying on the Long Water have started trying to chase the other swans away from what they now regard as their territory. However, they have not managed to budge the Canada Goose sitting on her eggs on the island they want. Here she is, with nothing more than a Coot to disturb her repose.
It takes a lot to disturb a Coot sitting on its nest. Workmen are building rafts of pontoons -- the same pontoons that were used for the triathlon piers -- around the bridge so that they can repair the stonework. There is a pontoon only a few feet from this nest under the willow tree, but the bird remains unperturbed.
So does the Moorhen on the other side of the bridge in her strangely chosen nest on a post. While a large raft was being swung around right next to her, she went on playing with her pretty ribbon.
These Moorhens in the Sunken Garden are having a much easier time on their raft. Here they are amusing themselves by arranging some leaves.
The new Egyptian family on the Serpentine are down to five, and today they were being chased off by an officious Greylag Goose. It is curious that the young are of very different sizes, three large and two small.
If you are a Mallard, being a drake does not save you from the unwelcome advances of other drakes.
Two Starlings on top of one of the umbrellas at the Lido restaurant were getting impatient waiting for a free table.
I had been wondering about how the carp and perch got into the Italian Garden ponds. On 26 May Harry G. suggested in the comments that the eggs came in on the legs of birds. But the ponds were drained and refilled in 2011 when the garden was renovated. These carp must weigh at least 5 pounds, maybe 7. Could they have grown to that size in four years?
I walked across Kensington Gardens today on the way to Ken. Hyde Street and in the Round Pond I saw about 15/20 smallish fish, 3 of which were Goldfish, the others being dark brownish. I presume someone had dumped them in there? I think I remember seeing some Goldfish some years ago? Any ideas/news on them Ralph?
ReplyDeleteThat was what I would have thought originally, but now I'm not sure. The theory about birds' feet would make sense for the Round Pond, which has not been drained for a very long time, perhaps never.
DeleteWould they not capture the fish when draining the ponds and put them back? Jim n.L.
ReplyDeleteNo. The last time they drained the ponds they scooped up the fish with garden forks and threw the wounded fish into buckets to die. It was a vile act and a horrible sight.
DeleteI don't imagine certain Royals would be impressed. I hope you pursued a complaint? Jim
ReplyDeleteI've tried writing to the park management before. It's like shouting into a black hole.
DeleteAs far as I am aware the EA (Envrionment Agency) makes it illegal to move fish between different waters without a valid permit to do so. This is primarily to help prevent the spread of disease and it is also against their rules to remove more than a certain qty of fish below a specified size. This IMO would seem to imply that what they done when the ponds were drained was probably illegal or at least against the EA Rules. When the pond was drained did it get completely dried out or was the possible patches of water where small fish and maybe eggs could have survived the work ?
ReplyDeleteWhere do the owls disappear to at this time of year?
ReplyDeleteThe Little owls and their owlets, if they have any, seem to go inside the leaf yard. The Tawnies remain in the general area of their nest tree but are only occasionally seen by chance in the dense leaves.
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