Probably the Wren had got too close to the Goldcrest's nest, which made the smaller bird angry and brave enough to chase it away. By the way, this is not the well known Goldcrest's nest in the yew tree at the southwest corner of the bridge. It is at the northwest corner, near the little flight of steps leading down from the bridge to the path.
This is also where the most easily photographed Great Crested Grebes' nest is, though you have to crouch down on the path to get a clear view through the twigs, and when the leaves come out it will be much harder to see.
The other grebe of the pair was on the opposite side of the bridge, fishing. This picture was taken looking down from the bridge.
At the far end of the Serpentine, two pairs of grebes were having a territorial dispute, with a good deal of circling and calling and diving. As usual, it subsided peacefully.
The pair of Mandarins on the Serpentine had worked their way up farther from the bridge, and were well to the east of the Lido when I found them. The meaning of this slow advance is not clear.
As usual, a Coot has nested inside one of the small boathouses.
This nest site has a serious problem: the chicks fall off the platform into the water and can't get up again. I must speak to the people at Bluebird Boats and ask them to put in a temporary plank. This boathouse is not used for anything at the moment.
When I was a child and the water in the Serpentine was black and filthy, they used to add chlorine to the water at the Lido during the swimming season -- which would not be allowed now. Two motor boats were used for this, and they were kept in the boathouses. Their names were Doreen and Chloreen.
The Black Swan has returned from his excursion on to the Long Water, and was in his usual place on the reed raft, preening under the gaze of a Moorhen.
A Great Tit perched on a tree stump in the leaf yard.
In the same place, this Coal Tit was getting bored with being photographed, and stared impatiently at me wanting to be given a pine nut.
A Little Owl was out in the oak tree near the Albert Memorial.
And so was another in the lime near the Henry Moore sculpture.
Intrigued to know you have been familiar with Kensington Gardens since your childhood, Ralph. What are the biggest changes in the park's bird life since then?
ReplyDeleteThe lake has improved, and now has plenty of fish and fishing birds. The land, on the whole, has got worse. It's not just losses that occur elsewhere, such as House Sparrows and Cuckoos. We have lost 90 per cent of our Blackbirds, and comparable proportions of other thrushes, through the invention of the leaf blower and the management's insane obsession with removing dead leaves from shrubberies. They have, of course, been told about this many times by many people, and have taken no notice.
DeleteIf we can outlaw the 100W incandescent light bulb surely the leaf blower must be next? An insane invention.
DeleteThere is now a brisk trade in illegal lightbulbs for tungsten addicts. People might buy bootleg leaf blowers too.
DeleteBut I think the energy enforcers would hear them a mile away. A black market in illicit silencers may spring up I suppose.
DeleteThe park staff have some near-silent electric ones. They don't use them much, because the charge only lasts half a day.
DeleteSo a reflection of what's happening all over the country, I assume. Short sighted management extolling the virtues of neat and tidy spaces, at the expense of natural habitat for insects and birds.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad fact that land managers are rarely wildlife enthusiasts.
DeleteThey just put up vacuous notices about wildlife and sit in their offices.
DeleteAlso, if administrators spend money on equipment, then the purchase has to be seen to be justified. My local park was effectively defoliated after someone signed a docket for chain-saws. Presumably the reason the Hyde Park loos now cost instead of being free (a really welcoming gesture to tourists, that) is that the additional revenue will be absolutely necessary to pay for bigger turf-rollers, or flame-throwers, etc., etc. ...
ReplyDeleteForce every park ranger to use a Silky saw by hand and they will think twice before felling. A very pleasurable implement with addictive qualities nonetheless!
DeleteOr a stone handaxe.
DeleteWhere is little owl tree near Henry Moore statue?
ReplyDeleteDavid Jeffreys
You will need binoculars. Go to the southeast corner of the square enclosure around the sculpture -- that is, the corner on the path nearest to the bridge. Look up the hill to the old brick buildings on the left of the Magazine. One of them has a chimney. The Little Owls' tree is directly in front of that, and the hole is in the left fork of this Y-shaped tree. It's maybe 60 yards up the hill from the path. Don't step off the path when looking: any movement towards the owl makes it dive into its hole.
DeleteBy the way, please put comments on the latest blog post rather than an old one. Otherwise few people will see what you have written.