... and this is the male.
Here is a close-up of the Great Crested Grebe on the nest at the island with the chick. It stayed on the nest, so I couldn't see how many eggs there were, but yesterday from the land I saw at least two.
Thanks to the people at Bluebird Boats for kindly taking me out to the island for this shot.
The grebes nesting on the Long Water have to be photographed from across the lake. The nest at the north side of the fallen poplar, which had been abandoned, is now occupied again.
The one on the south side has been occupied since 9 May, and ought to be hatching soon. One of the parents was turning over the eggs.
The pair of grebes on the Serpentine who can't dance properly and seem to do everything wrong were trying to mate on the water. This is impossible for grebes. They have to build a nest first. But they haven't managed that, because they have vainly been trying to attach it to the rafts at the east end.
Here are two of Fran's fine pictures of the second Mute Swan nest at the east end of the Serpentine, with the eggs hatching ...
... and five cygnets.
Today the mother swan was sitting tight, and only occasional glimpses of a couple of cygnets could be had.
The swans on the Serpentine are being troubled by Carrion Crows which arrive when they are being fed. They chase them off.
So do the Canada Geese.
That should not suggest that there is an alliance. Of course the swans chase off the geese too.
A Greylag had pulled some leaves off a lime tree beside the Serpentine, and was eating them.
There were two Grey Wagtails on the rafts at the east end of the Serpentine. We hope they are nesting in the Dell.
A Rose-Ringed Parakeet was eating a very unripe cherry. They don't seem to mind how unripe fruit is, and I have seen one eating an unripe crabapple, which must have been formidably sour.
A young Great Tit was chasing its parents through the bushes behind the Lido, calling to be fed.
There are a lot of Wrens on the Long Water near the bridge, on both sides of the lake.
Thanks for your excellent blog. I've visited Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens three times in the past 3 days, once in the afternoon & at 5 am yesterday and today. Lucky enough to see one little owl close to what I believe is the leafyard (behind Peter Pan). I've recorded circa 45 - 50 species - surprised no Willow Warbler or Chiffchaff. Have heard some calls I didn't recognise but perhaps Ring-Necked Parakeets mimicking? No sign of Tawny Owl nor any of the Woodpeckers. A great resource & really appreciated! Kev.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs are still here, but have mostly stopped singing. I heard a WW on Thursday, beside the Long Water, but have not heard a CC for a week.
DeleteI've been spending the better part of the afternoon correcting the master's thesis of one of my students while being utterly horrified by the level of expression and the quality of the argument found in the writing of a future holder of a master's degree. I cannot begin to tell you what an oasis your pictures and your blog have become in the middle of my daily drudgery. Intelligence, understated wit, harmony, thoughtfulness, beauty. All that is missed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I struggled through three years of a first degree in philosophy, and I don't think it left me with anything more useful than increased scepticism. All too often, higher education is no more than a method of prolonging childhood.
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