... uttering sharp cries of annoyance because a Coal Tit was chasing them. It's a bit sad to be so small that you can be pushed about by a Coal Tit.
A pair of Long-Tailed Tits were leaping from twig to twig in a nearby tree.
There was a Treecreeper in the yew too, photographed here after it flew into another tree where the light was better.
Underneath, a Robin was eating a worm. It was biting off lengths and swallowing the unfortunate creature a piece at a time.
The Great Crested Grebes' nest at the east end of the island has been occupied for several days.
This place is hard to see, as it is inside the line of floating baskets of plants that surround the island. You have to stand near the line of posts and peer into the shadows under the bushes.
The Black Swan was on the Serpentine by himself, preening his wings.
One of the Pochard-Tufted Duck hybrids was diving for food on the Long Water near the Italian Garden.
A Grey Heron was scratching itself on a post at Peter Pan.
This is the heron that has a broken toe that has set crooked and sticks up at an angle. The heron finds this useful as a scratcher.
The Little Owl in the oak tree near the Albert Memorial was also scratching itself.
But the one in the lime tree near the Henry Moore sculpture was content to stare at us.
It was a revelation and a joy (after 5 years of living in London) to stumble across your blog and learn that there are little owls on my doorstep! Your directions are very precise! Over the past 4 days I've had successful sightings at the Albert Memorial and Peter Pan sights. Last night, the little owl in the big oak was very vocal and flew out of its nest sight, facing off with a large number of parakeets that gathered. I was wondering how to locate the lime tree on Buck Hill and also, if the Tawny Owl still occupies the tree halfway between the physical energy statue and the obelisk. Many thanks :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you found the Little Owls. This is how to find the one on Buck Hill.
DeleteYou 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.
We still haven't found where the Tawny Owls are spending their days. They have been heard and seen several times, but their territory covers nearly a square mile and thousands of trees.