It carried a faecal sac out of the nest. The nestlings' droppings emerge wrapped up, a handy way of keeping the nest clean. The parents dispose of this some distance away so as not to reveal the location of the nest.
A Blackbird under a tree near the Dell was collecting caterpillars and insects for his chicks.
The white-faced Blackbird near the Italian Garden, also feeding chicks, came out to get her daily ration of sultanas.
Another sipped water and looked for insects on the edge of the little pool at the top of the Dell waterfall.
At the small lower waterfall, a Grey Wagtail was doing the same. There is almost certainly a pair nesting under the little plank bridge, a place they use every year.
A single Long-Tailed Tit was leaping around in a tree near the Albert Memorial.
The male Little Owl near the leaf yard was at the top of the chestnut tree.
The two Great Crested Grebe chicks at the island are now active and vocal, and are beginning to follow their parents when they dive.
The Coots nesting under the balcony of the Dell restaurant are still waiting for their very large cluster of eggs to hatch. When last counted, there were 13 eggs.
A Coot had made an uncharacteristically soggy nest out of algae near the Diana fountain. Twigs are rather hard to find in this part of the lake, where the edge is partly screen by a long reed bed.
A Grey Heron caught bits of bread being thrown to it at the waterfront by the Peter Pan statue.
The Mute Swan family were also here, getting plenty of food from the many visitors on a sunny Sunday.
The Egyptian goslings on the Round Pond survived a Herring Gull attack and being pushed around by Greylags, and just managed to climb ashore to go and eat grass.
The Mallards on the Long Water have just one duckling left. This picture was takem by Mark.
So do the pair just the other side of the bridge.
It's a miracle that the little Egyptians survived another day. Their parent is attentive, but they are so exposed constantly. There might have been a carnage had a Gull tried its luck when they were trying to get out of the water.
ReplyDeleteOh my, the Grebe chicks are getting so large that they can hardly climb on top of their parents' back! They are in a fair way to make it.
It's endearing how the Coot brings a leaf as a little bit of décor to decorate their already impressive nest (btw, the clip is not displayed correctly, although it can be seen in your channel).
Thanks for pointing out that the clip hadn't been embedded correctly. Have fixed that now.
DeleteThe Herring Gulls can swoop any time they like. I'm surprised that they don't grab all the chicks immediately. There were half a dozen of them when I was there.
Those grebe chicks are going to need feeding for another two months. Grebes are devoted parents because they need to be.