One of the Moorhen chicks on the Long Water checked the algae on a post to see there were any bugs in it. They are both being fed by the parents and foraging for themselves.
The Coots' nest in the middle of the Long Water was completely destroyed by heavy rain a few days ago. Its owners are busily and pointlessly rebuilding it from scratch.
A Tufted Duck dived in front of Peter Pan.
The Black Swan, chased away from the Mute Swan cygnets by their father, came back within seconds.
A Grey Heron decided to land on the gravel strip on the Long Water, although it was covered with gulls. The gulls just had to get out of the way.
A female Blackcap was making loud chipping noises from a holly tree near the Italian Garden.
A flock of Long-Tailed Tits swept through the trees near the bridge.
A Wood Pigeon was eating blackberries.
If you look closely at their odd pale eyes, you can see that the pupil, which looks keyhole-shaped, is actually round and there is a dark mark on the inner edge of the iris.
There were only a few people feeding the Rose-Ringed Parakeets next to the leaf yard, in spite of it being a sunny Sunday during the school holidays. Some Jackdaws, driven out of the area by the disturbance, came back. This one strutted around impatiently waiting for me to stop photographing and produce a peanut.
The female Little Owl was again on the south side of the chestnut tree. The leaves are denser here, and it gives better cover from Magpies.
Late in the season, the Meadow Brown butterflies are getting tattered.
But this Comma was still in good shape.
Surrounded by flowers in the Rose Garden, a Honeybee chose to spend a couple of minutes going over a dead one. I have no idea what it was finding on this shrivelled object.
Isn't it weird that I find baby grebes' cries oddly pleasant, whereas baby gulls' begging noises almost drive me up a wall?
ReplyDeleteWho or what is the Little Owl half-looking at? She makes it seem as if she is dozing, but she is watching through closed eyes.
I don't know what the bee was aiming at while investigating a dead flower, but it certainly made for a very aesthetically pleasing study of harmonising colours.
Probably the begging calls that sound least like human babies are the least disturbing to humans.
ReplyDeleteThe Little Owl was looking at me, Paul and two visitors all capering around trying to find a good angle for photographs. She no longer feels threatened by this behaviour, but likes to keep half an eye on it to make sure it doesn't exceed acceptable bounds.
A naturalist friend pointed out that your Dunnock eating m&m's has three feet. It just goes to show how rapidly even a small quantity of dubious chemical additives can act on the genetic make-up of a small organism. We should be very concerned . . .
ReplyDeleteYou had me worried for a moment. That's a withered pink blossom from the bush. You can see a slightly fresher petal on the right.
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