Another pair, not with a nest, were fishing under the moored pedalos. There are plenty of medium-sized fish to keep adults going. But Great Crested Grebes have not learnt the trick which Little Grebes know, of shaking a fish to pieces so there are small bits for the chicks.
After yesterday's clip of a grebe eating insects on the Serpentine, here is one of a Gadwall doing the same. The insects are chironomid midges flying just above the water, not fast and quite easy to catch.
This is one of them.
The Swifts were feasting on higher flying insects. It's not easy to get video of Swifts in flight. This is the best I could manage.
There were plenty of House Martins at the east end of the Serpentine.
The insects had also attracted Pied Wagtails, which were hunting all along the north bank of the lake: in the grass ...
... at the edge of the water ...
... and on the mossy slate roof of one of the boathouses.
One of the regular park bird feeders gives herons bits of fish with chopsticks, which must remind them agreeably of being fed from the bills of their parents. This video was shot looking up to the parapet of the bridge.
Here's a video by Tom of me feeding a Jay, in slow motion.
A Carrion Crow chased a Heron in circles over the leaf yard.
A Magpie perched on the railings near the bridge, showing off the blue iridescence on its wings and the green and purple on its tail.
On the other side a the path, a Coal Tit looked down cautiously from a yew.
There is a pair of Song Thrushes at the foot of Buck Hill near the Italian Garden. One of them was in a bush beside the path.
The Mute Swan nesting at the terrace of the Lido restaurant turned over her eggs to keep them evenly warmed, then settled down again. There are seven eggs in the nest.
Wow Ralph, you do really carry very heavy equipment around. My back wouldn't be up to par. In the rain, in the wind, in the bitter cold, in the snow. I am amazed. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves how lucky we are that this blog exists.
ReplyDeleteOne gets used to it. It's easier than carrying a rucksack which constantly needs to be taken off.
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