Monday 21 December 2015

On a wet windy afternoon three Feral Pigeons were sitting on the wet tarmac near the Dell resturant, leaning to the side and holding one wing up to catch the wind. Is this a way of removing parasites?


Cormorants are still hauling up plenty of fish, usually from the bottom and entangled in weed. This one had just managed to separate the two and was about to swallow the fish and dump the salad.


You can constantly see Black-Headed Gulls flying around with little streamers of weed. They attract the attention of other gulls which try to seize the object. There must be something in the weed that is more worthwhile than the weed itself -- some kind of larva, maybe -- but it's impossible to see.


A young Herring Gull on the north shore of the Serpentine was playing with a conker.


And another was picking up a dead leaf and dropping it into the water.


The most skilled gull game is to carry up an object, drop it, and dive to catch it in midair. But I have not yet managed to get a picture of that.

The Black Swan was with his girlfriend, moving over to the Dell restaurant where some people were feeding the birds. Emboldened by his presence, she took a nip at an adult.


Actually she needs little encouragement to be aggressive. Her brother, on the other hand, is quite gentle by swan standards.

A Greylag kept a lookout while its companions were drinking in the Diana fountain. The place was almost deserted and very safe, but a flock of geese always has one bird scanning the area for possible predators.


At the Lido, a Shoveller was yawning, showing the peculiar filtration arrangements inside his enormous bill.


The Wren that visits the big planters at the Lido restaurant has become quite bold, and stands its ground when you point a camera at it. It must be used to the bustle of the restaurant on sunny days.


At the other end of the restaurant terrace, the resident Robin was singing loudly from its olive tree. It was proclaiming its ownership because there was another Robin ticking at it from the other side of the path.

4 comments:

  1. The Wren picture is simply adorable!

    I propose that, since the Girlfriend appears to have embarkeded on a life of misdemeanour, henceforth she be called Bonnie (or any other name suitable for famous female delinquents).

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  2. *embarked, even. I cannot type.

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps more like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth? She's bigger and beastlier than him.

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    2. Perfection. It suits her like a glove!

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