Saturday 25 July 2015

A Mistle Thrush near Queen's Gate was feeding a family. In several headlong dashes through the grass it caught two grasshoppers and a cricket.


Here is a closer view.


The young Green Woodpecker that I saw here two days ago was in a tree, with a parent in the next tree. It was demanding food with squeaky noises like a rubber toy being repeatedly and rapidly squeezed.


A large family group of Long-Tailed Tits swept through the bushes near the bridge. Here are two of the young ones, the upper one beginning to look quite adult, the lower one in a tatty transitional stage.


In the reeds underneath, the Reed Warblers were coming out to the front, not so much to enjoy the sunshine but to find insects brought out by the warmth.


A Dunnock was poking around in the grass above the fallen horse chestnut tree on the Long Water, perfectly camouflaged. I would have missed it if it had stayed still.


The second Moorhen family in the Italian Garden seems to have only one chick. Its parent has caught it a slap-up meal of a small fish -- quite a feat for a bird that is not a fishing specialist.


The two Coot chicks at the Serpentine outflow are still in their nest. One of them was inches from being swept down the weir.


A Greylag Goose was washing itself enthusiastically near the Lido.


The male Little Owl was in the family's usual maple tree. There was no sign of the young ones, which may have been in the leaf yard.

4 comments:

  1. What do you make of the seagull hysteria in the media Ralph? It makes me cross because labeling seagulls as 'psycho', 'psychotic' or 'cannibals' is ludicrous. It's no surprise from your blog that seagulls will kill and eat other birds!

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    1. I've only heard about this at second hand. Apparently there was an article in the Times, which I don't buy, and the paper's web site is behind a paywall. Anyway, you expect journalists to write silly articles, and no one takes any notice of their vapourings.

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  2. A marvellous Mistle Thrush pic, how it tells a story! Goose is very charming too. Jim n.L.

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