Monday 20 July 2015

The young Hobbies are out and flying around. They were chasing each other inside a plane tree, which made them impossible to photograph and hard to count, but I think there are two. This is one of the adults waiting for the rumpus to stop.


It should now be possible to see the family flying round the park. They call loudly and often, so you should be able to hear them coming.

There was a brief sight of one Little owlet in the maple tree, but it soon flew to last year's nest tree, where I could hear it, or both of them, calling but they were hidden in the leaves.


The Great Crested Grebe family from the Serpentine island had brought their three chicks across the lake to a place near the Lido, where presumably the fishing was better. Their mother looked slightly exasperated as the chicks wriggled around on her back.


The pair of grebes nearer the bridge were dancing. Can they find a nest site? There is a place behind the baskets at the west end of the island that has been successful more than once.


The Grey Heron that hangs around the Dell restaurant was standing under the waterfall.


There are some suitable-sized fish in this short stretch of stream, as well as some large carp. I think they get washed over the weir at the end of the lake and somehow find their way through the water filter under the path. I have seen small fish in the pool at the top of the waterfall, but these are gone now, either because they went over the waterfall or because the heron got them.

There was a Mallard with one chocolate-brown duckling at the east end of the Serpentine. This picture was taken from the terrace of the Dell restaurant.


There was also a dark brown duckling last year, probably with the same mother. Sadly, it didn't survive, so we don't know what colour it would have been if it had grown up.

The Mallard on the Round Pond is hanging on to her four ducklings, in spite of there being several Herring Gulls on the pond today. They followed her as she strolled down the edge, looking rather like a school swimming instructor.


The young Reed Warblers were climbing around in the reed bed near the bridge.


This Green Woodpecker may be seen anywhere between the Vista and the Tawny Owls' nest tree.

4 comments:

  1. That would be a very early date for fledging of a Hobby
    Bto suggests early/mid August on average with end of July being early

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  2. http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob3100.htm

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    Replies
    1. It's nothing compared with the fledging of our Tawny Owls, two to three months early according to the book.

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  3. They make up their own rules!! Maybe the good weather?

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