One of the two teenagers from the previous brood was in the water lilies in another pool.
So was the teenage Grey Heron from the upper nest on the Serpentine island, which is now reoccupied and has at last one new chick in it.
The young herons in the lower nest were making their clattering begging call.
The male Great Crested Grebe from the nest in the fallen poplar on the Long Water, who had been carrying the four chicks, had just shaken them off into the water so that they could climb on to their mother's back. The fish that she had brought was too big for them, so she ate it herself before letting the chicks aboard.
The three chicks from the nest on the island could also be seen under the gunwale of the small electric boat.
The Coots' nest under the Dell restaurant balcony was again occupied by a Mute Swan.
When I went by later the Coots had reclaimed it.
There is an attractive patch of English wildflowers under the willow tree on the restaurant terrace, a better selection than in the wildflower patch behind the Lido.
It includes several sunflowers, which are not native -- they are North American -- and probably sprang from sunflower seeds spilt when someone was feeding the small birds.
A Canada Goose sunbathed on the edge of the Serpentine.
A pair of Greylag Geese kept careful watch while their goslings were grazing on the plants in the border of the shrubbery next to the bridge. The main danger is from dogs, which are supposed to be on leads here but their owners don't care.
A brood of Egyptian goslings seemed surprised by the big new primary feathers that have sprouted on their wings. Two of the four would be able to fly now, but they will wait a bit before making their first trial runs.
Bernard the gardener was mowing the grass in the Flower Walk. When he paused for a moment, a young Robin perched on the throttle cable of the mower.
The small birds have an easy life here, with people constantly coming to feed them and a couple of bird baths filled every day for their convenience.
The male Little Owl near the leaf yard was in his usual chestnut tree, more visible than on recent days.
I can imagine some of the birds suffer in the heatwave too, I see them on the grass every morning but surely they don’t like to eat straw like grass. I feel for them but at least it will get better at some point. I wonder whether the heat affects some of the big old trees in the park in terms of lack of moisture at the roots?
ReplyDeleteI don't think grass drying out affects its food value much. Think of hay. The real trouble is the hard ground making worms unavailable.
DeleteThe trees in the park have been through worse than this and survived. We had two consecutive long heatwaves in 1975 and 6, and it got hotter than it is now.
I love that young Robin and its pretty dappled colours! It's been too long since the last Robin picture.
ReplyDeleteHow hot is it? I've read that 36ªC are expected tomorrow in some parts of England. We are around the 33ºC mark, when we would ordinarily hit 39º-40º C this time of the year, so we are very happy campers in Spain right now.
I guess birds in the UK must not be used to foraging in very hot weather. That is worrisome.
Just checked the thermometer outside my window. Yes, 36°. There's a chance of a thunderstorm this evening. A bit of rain would be welcome for all creatures, even me as I go out on my bicycle.
ReplyDelete