Saturday 7 January 2017

There has been no sign of a Green Woodpecker for some time, so it was pleasing to hear one laughing derisively from a tree overlooking the Rose Garden.


In the garden, the familiar Dunnock was poking around in a rose bed. Living in a busy spot has made it remarkably fearless, and it's easy to photograph.


The pair of Blackbirds at the southwest corner are also used to crowds, as well as bicycles whizzing past. The soggy strip of grass is an idea Blackbird spot, full of worms.


I gave each of them a bit of digestive biscuit as a modelling fee.

A Robin in a bramble patch at the side of the Long Water came out to be fed. How do they manage to land on such formidably thorny stems and always get their toes between the thorns? There must be a bit of lightning-fast shuffling as they settle.


The lowest nest on the island had a pair of Grey Herons in it.


A skein of Canada Geese came charging up the misty lake.


A pair of Mute Swans were courting at the east end.


A group of swans had been preening here, and the water was covered with little white feathers. Some Shovellers had no difficulty in filtering them out.


A young Herring Gull dived into the lake to pick up a stone from the bottom.


The gulls' playground is a sharply defined area, the easternmost part of the south shore of the Serpentine. You hardly ever see one playing anywhere else.

The female Little Owl near the Albert Memorial was dozing at the back of her hole, and wasn't woken by being photographed.


This is the female of the pair near the Henry Moore sculpture, I think. She is more angular and square-headed than the other females, almost the typical shape of a male, but when she's with her mate you can see how much larger she is.


Thomas the Tank Engine, Spongebob Squarepants, a Minion, Hello Kitty and Minnie Mouse were aboard a rocket ship escaping from Winter Wonderland. They were last seen heading for Mayfair.

2 comments:

  1. I think the rocket-ship *may be Thunderbird 2, but I make no claim to be a real expert.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm even less of an expert, but an image search for Thunderbird 2 shows it to be green all over.

      Delete