Thursday 18 June 2015

There was an unusual visitor to the Serpentine island, a young Shelduck. It may have come from Regent's Park, where they have Shelducks both in their captive collection and as occasional wild visitors.


The eldest Canada gosling is almost a teenager now and is losing its juvenile down and growing its first proper feathers. As a result, it is looking a bit unkempt.


People were throwing bread to the ducks at Peter Pan, attracting a Grey Heron which expertly caught a piece in midair.


The male of the pair of Great Crested Grebes nesting inside the reed rafts at the east end of the Serpentine was fishing in the murky and weedy water. There are a lot of small fish sheltering under the weed, but there is no sheltering from a hungry grebe.


One of the family of Wrens in the Flower Walk was perched in a tree, scolding some creature I couldn't see, probably a Magpie.


A family of Long-Tailed Tits passed through the leaf yard on its all-day insect hunting expedition.


There were a lot of dragonflies similarly engaged on the shore of the Serpentine. Here is a female Black-Tailed Skimmer taking a brief rest on the granite kerb.


The male Little Owl was in exactly the same place as yesterday and the day before. It is not as conveniently visible as the perch he favoured last year.

5 comments:

  1. I visited from Bham today and great to see what I've been reading for months. I saw the Shelduck plus 2 reed warblers one down to 6 feet, 80+ Egyptian Geese on the southern side of the Serpentine Nuthatch Treecreeper both by Peter Pan plus the House Martins. 1 Jay coming to nuts plus one Swift. An amazing and in parts wild Park

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    1. Very glad to here that you've made it to the park, and well done to see so much in one visit. Wish I could have met you to point out the Little Owl.

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  2. I did hope I'd see a crowd of people looking up!! I did see a (the?) Lesser Black Backed Gull attack and miss Feral Pigeons twice. The pigeons relaxed again immediately! Not very bright!

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  3. Oh and I forgot, heard the Cettis Warbler!

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    1. A splendid record for one day. And yes, as far as I know there is only one Lesser Black-Backed Gull that successfully attacks and kills pigeons. I have seen a second one -- not this gull's mate -- having a go and failing.

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