... far away enough from her boisterous youngsters not to be bothered by them. Both were in a horse chestnut on the other side of the path, leaping around and begging for food.
But in the next tree there was no peace for a Great Tit being chased by a fledgling.
A family of Long-Tailed Tits flew over at the back of the Lido. From the way this young one stayed still on a twig for several seconds, it was clear that it was still expecting its parents to bring food.
The heavy rain caused the land drain at the Vista to overflow as usual, bringing up an abundance of worms for this Blackbird to collect for his young.
The Great Crested Grebe chick was by itself in the middle of the Serpentine, also calling loudly to be fed.
The notorious pigeon-killing Lesser Black-Backed Gull had just removed the last shred of meat from its latest victim. It took off at once and went in search of another.
It must be a great relief for a Greylag Goose with nine goslings that they can feed themselves.
The Black Swan graciously accepted a digestive biscuit, then went for a cruise on the Serpentine.
It was good not having to photograph him in the sordid mess of shed feathers and droppings that the Mute Swans have created on the shore near the bridge, which can't be cleaned up until the swans have stopped using it as their living room.
A Grey Heron was perched on an improbably thin twig, surveying the surroundings for a juicy rat or a dropped sandwich.
There are clouds of insects all over the lake for the Reed Warblers to eat. This one, in the reed bed at the east end of the Serpentine, felt safe enough to perch out in the open because it was fifty yards from the path.
I didn't know herons hunted for rat - how do they eat them? Always think of them with fish, maybe swallowing them whole? I get the dropped sandwich.
ReplyDeleteThey'll have a go at most things I believe eg rabbits even. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/3352517/Heron-catches-rabbit-Dramatic-photos.html
DeleteYoutube is full of clips showing herons killing and eating almost anything smaller than them. Hunting voles seems to be a favourite sport with them.
DeleteI like herons, I truly do, but sometimes they are much too dinosaur-ish for my peace of mind.
Our Grey Herons have been seen eating rats, swallowing them head first and alive -- the rat is tossed and spun in the air to get it the right way round. One has also killed an adult rabbit, too big to swallow. And I saw one trying to swallow an adult Moorhen. They also kill large fish, simply for fun, by stabbing them.
DeleteSpielberg could have saved a pretty penny had he included half a dozen live herons instead of those animatronic Velociraptores for Jurassic Park. More credible, too.
DeleteAnd not much different. Many late dinosaurs of this type seem to have had feathers. Spielberg's 'velociraptors' are a made-up species somewhere between a Velociraptor (which was quite small) and a Deinonychus. And, as any child knows, the creatures in the park are Cretaceous, not Jurassic.
DeleteWhat is the critical mass for a huddle of goslings? It must become a self-sustaining reaction above a certain density.
ReplyDeleteThe combined broods of several Canada pairs may sometimes number 50, and so far nothing has exploded.
DeletePictures taken last night 8.30, 2 juvenile grey wagtails on top of a metal post together for about 10 minutes, high up above houses in Queensborough Terrace, close to Kensington gardens, I can send pictures
DeleteThere seem to be quite a lot of wagtails, both Grey and Pied, in Bayswater. I think one cause is the flies on food waste from the many restaurants in an around Queensway.
DeleteTeenagers are the same across all the species, it seems.
ReplyDeleteHow many pigeons does that bloodthirsty gull kill per day, I wonder?
I thought it was only one, and was surprised by today's behaviour. Of course the gull's mate shares the kills.
DeleteI once saw a heron kill and eat a rat. It held it under water till it drowned and stopped struggling, then swallowed it whole. Grisly end for the rat but fascinating to watch.
ReplyDeleteOur Herons don't bother with drowning. Down it goes straight away, still struggling.
DeleteBlimey. That's me told. But , thanks for all the information. Herons must have astounding stomachs.
ReplyDelete