The young Great Crested Grebe from the nest on the island made a welcome reappearance after several days without a sighting.
Its parents' younger offspring were also visible near the island.
The Black Swan was elusive, but finally showed up at the east end of the Serpentine.
The Little Owls were also hard to find, but then the female called from the usual chestnut tree.
Her mate didn't answer, but he can sometimes be heard calling from a nearby horse chestnut tree just across the path that leads up the east side of the Vista to the Round Pond. The leaves are very dense, and he hasn't been seen there yet.
The Mallard near the bridge is still managing to hang on to three ducklings -- the bridge offers shelter from the circling gulls. One of them was using its mother as a sunshade ...
... while the other two splashed about at the edge.
A fallen kerbstone on the edge of the water at the statue of Peter Pan is a popular place for Feral Pigeons to bathe and socialise.
There were Grey Herons all around the Long Water. One of them stared hungrily at a rabbit -- much too large fo it to swallow, of course, but that doesn't stop herons from having a go.
Another sunbathed on the tern raft in a typical 'space shuttle' posture.
A third just looked decorative on a swan-necked urn in the Italian Garden.
The patches of purple loosestrife in the Italian Garden are alive with insects. Here are a honeybee ...
... a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee ..
... and a Small White butterfly.
In the Dell, damselflies were hunting midges over the calm water above the little waterfall. At the beginning of this clip they are briefly joined by a big blue Emperor dragonfly, and at the end by a Common Darter dragonfly.
Nice pics Ralph
ReplyDeleteThe kestrel looks like a female to me?
Yes, you're right, thanks. In the other pictures the upper surface of its tail looked plain coloured in the strong sunlight, but not this one.
DeleteThat picture of the Heron posing decoratively in front of the urn is everything! The Space Shuttle Heron on the other hand looks like one of those wonderfully kitsch Soviet-era heroic statues.
ReplyDeleteThe Black Swan looks out of spirits. Is he as buoyant and energetic as he used to be, or is he ordinarily as sedate as this picture leads to believe?
People often think the park herons are plastic ornaments when they see them standing still.
DeleteI think the Black Swan is OK. He was busy preening when I passed, and I had to catch him in a moment when his head was visible and right way up.