Monday 26 March 2018

A pair of Magpies nesting in a tree near the bridge gathered small twigs to make a smooth lining for the inside of the nest.


The final touch, if they can find any, is tufts of dog hair from where someone has been combing a woolly dog in the park.

Usually Jackdaws can pick through the shell of a peanut in a few seconds, but this nut was putting up a stiff resistance.


A Blackbird was eating oatmeal and clearly enjoying it, as it was ignoring fallen berries on the path nearby.


A Wren hopped around under a tree north of the Round Pond. There are many Wrens in the lime avenues here.


A Treecreeper walked along the underside of a branch on a tree next to the Little Owls' tree near the Albert Memorial.


The owl herself was enjoying the morning sunshine. Little Owls' big shaggy eyebrows shield their eyes from the sun.


The owl near the Henry Moore sculpture was in the shade as usual. You hardly ever see her in direct sunlight.


A pair of Mute Swans made a nest near the bridge. A pair of Coots hung around in the background, not close enough to goad a swan into chasing them away. Do they nest next to swans to protect themselves from predators?


The dominant male Mute Swan was at the Vista rounding up other swans to shoo them off his territory when an irresponsible dog owner let his dogs into the lake. This is the swan who was badly injured by a dog a couple of years ago, and he has a short way with them now. This dramatic picture was taken by Johanna, who edits the longer videos on my YouTube channel.


On the Serpentine, three big male swans were cruising around aggressively. The lower ranking swans fled.


A male Tufted Duck stood as tall as possible to impress some passing females.


A Gadwall looked quietly elegant in the sunshine.


All the Shovellers have left the Long Water and Serpentine, but there are still three on the Round Pond.


A Cormorant caught a fish under the marble fountain on the edge of the Italian Garden.


The Grey Heron is still on the nest on the island. Maybe the pair are serious about nesting again after they were driven off their nest first by the cold spell and then by Egyptian Geese.


The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull strode ashore with a hungry glint in his pale eye.


Another Lesser Black-Back knocked a Common Gull off a post.

5 comments:

  1. I think that dog got the short end of the stick this time. It is really an imposing and I imagine very powerful Swan, and now on a short fuse (deservedly) with dogs. I am sorry about whatever any other animal crosses its path.

    The Jackdaw looks like an adorably flummoxed hammer. I hope it got the peanut in the end.

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  2. Is the little owls in the trees by where the parakeets are fed, the henry moore ones?

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    1. Thanks ralph. I was over from Belfast and walked the park for 2 days trying to find an owl and seen nothing until i got a nice splat on the head by an owl in the tree by the parakeet feeder. The Owl i got a picture of i presume is the peter pan owls?

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    2. Yes, that's the place. Suppose you were privileged, in a way. Anyway, better than being under a heron on a tree.

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