... and swooping on their prey. They were catching grasshoppers, no easy task.
They spent most of the time on the ground running after them.
One of them charged straight at Virginia, who got these two dramatic shots.
The Little Owl at the leaf yard stayed still for just one shot, then dashed into a place where he couldn't be seen and wouldn't emerge for the rest of the day. Weekends make him nervous, with all the people milling around under his tree.
A family of Long-Tailed Tits flitted through the trees near the Physical Energy statue.
The young Grey Herons on the island are ready to leave the nest. One prowled around the edge ...
... and ventured out on to a branch.
The other one had climbed and flapped right into the tree and could only just be seen.
The youngest Great Crested Grebe chicks at the island are off their parents' backs and following them around.
The Moorhens in the Italian Garden have already built one temporary nest in the water lilies as a day bed for their chicks. Now they are building a third.
The Coot chick that has fallen down the weir at the outflow of the Serpentine is still alive and being fed. You can just hear it calling as its parent goes down the sloping plank with a bit of food. I really think it could climb up the plank now, but it's having an easy life and can't be bothered to.
The teenage Coots from the nest at the Dell restaurant are getting their adult white faces.
The Coot nest under the willow next to the bridge has already been commandeered by a Great Crested Grebe, a Tufted Duck and a Grey Heron. Now a Mallard is using it as a comfortable resting place.
The seven Mallard ducklings on the Round Pond dived to pick up food from the bottom.
This Tufted Duck also has seven ducklings which are much more accomplished divers. As soon as you get all of them in shot, one is bound to dive as you press the shutter button.
The Egyptian goslings at the Round Pond are now ready to fly. The family will probably leave the pond to get out of the way of the very aggressive pair of Egyptians, and seek a quieter life on the main lake.
Lovely shots of the Kestrels.
ReplyDeleteWhat a privilege, to be able to take such excellent pictures and videos of the Kestrels! And how lucky we are that we are able to share in it.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see the the stranded Coot chick is not only alive, but thriving. Perhaps these Coots have learned from their experience?
It's taken them years of failure in this place, but eventually the lesson seems to have sunk in. Or maybe it's pure chance.
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