Saturday 25 November 2017

A Cormorant  searched busily for fish in the wire baskets near the bridge, but found nothing. They are beginning to exhaust the supply of fish in the lake, and fewer are visiting.


But another was doing better under the marble fountain in the Italian Garden.


Blondie the Egyptian Goose and her mate were in a militant mood, and chased another pair down the edge of the Serpentine.


The morning sunshine brought out the brilliant colours of a Shoveller drake as he revolved endlessly with his mate on the Long Water.


It also brought out people on to the terrace of the Dell restaurant, and so attracted the local Grey Heron. It looked bored as it waited for someone to leave a table.


The second pigeon-killing Lesser Black-Backed Gull was on his territory near the Triangle car park, and gave me a severe stare.


The recent strong winds have blown the rafts of water plants all over the place, and one of them has ended up against the island. The mixed plants attract Greylag and Canada Geese.


Jackdaws, which returned to Kensington Gardens four years ago, have been slow to reoccupy Hyde Park, and have only recently ventured past the bridge. But today there were two near Bluebird Boats.


Jays are much more mobile and can be found anywhere in the park if they think you are carrying food for them.


A Long-Tailed Tit peered round a twig in the Dell ...


... before going down to join others on the feeder.


The female Little Owl near the Albert Memorial spent several hours basking in the sunshine ...


... and even the one near the Henry Moore sculpture, who normally stays in the shade, decided to come round.

3 comments:

  1. Shovellers have such a great name in English. I have always thought the English have a rare gift for choosing very appropriate and significant names for birds. In Spanish, for instance, the meaning of many bird names is now obscure and meaningless to anyone except classicists with more than a passing acquaintance with vulgar Latin.

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    1. It's Löffelente ('spoon duck') in German, skjeand (meaning the same) in Norwegian, and Slobeend ('loose/baggy[?] duck') in Dutch.

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    2. We call them "pato cuchara" in Spanish, 'spoon duck' as in German and Norwegian. 'Shoveller' is more fitting though.

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