Sunday 28 August 2016

It was a pleasure to see one of the Little owlets again near the Albert Memorial. It was looking almost completely grown up, with adult white spots on its head replacing the plain juvenile plumage.


Some of the young birds seem to be a bit behind schedule. Not far off, a young Carrion Crow was still begging for food from a parent.


And a young Blackbird near the Italian Garden was doing the same.


One of the three young Mute Swans on the Long Water displayed a pair of well grown wings. It's almost ready to start trying to fly. A couple of weeks of practice runs will be needed before it can get off the water.


The Black Swan's adopted cygnet is younger, and its flight feathers aren't fully out yet.


There had been an incursion of Mute Swans on the Long Water, and the resident pair hadn't yet got around to chasing them back under the bridge. The Black Swan amused himself by sparring with a couple of invaders


There were young Great Crested Grebes all over the Serpentine, and it was no longer possible to tell which ones belong to which family. Two quite large ones were away from their parents, practising fishing together.


This is just an ordinary Moorhen in the Italian Garden, but I do like watching the way they climb about and balance on stems, just for the fun of it.


This young Grey Heron has been hanging around the Dell restaurant for several weeks, getting closer and closer to the terrace, and I think it is nerving itself to start raiding tables.


The adult heron that used to do this was frightened away by someone, and has still not returned.

We haven't had a picture of a Pied Wagtail for a while, so here is one on the edge of the Serpentine.


There was just one Mistle Thrush in the rowan trees on Buck Hill.


The Robins have started singing again after their few weeks of silence in late summer. This means that the pairs have separated and each one, male and female, is establishing an individual territory that it will defend until the next breeding season when they pair up again.

2 comments:

  1. Moorhen climbing antics are so fun to watch! Doubtless those enormous toes must be very helpful to keep their balance.

    Pictures of wagtails were very much missed, but it's heartwarming to see them look and pose as prettily as ever.

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    1. It is a bit of a puzzle how those prodigious toes evolved. They seem excessive for the simple job of not sinking into mud.

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