Tuesday 23 October 2018

A Blackbird enjoyed a wash in the little stream in the Dell. She is a resident, but there were several other Blackbirds here which must be newly arrived winter migrants.


One was foraging in a flower bed ...


... and another lurked in a bush. Many of the migrants are immature males (it's harder to tell the age of females).


A Rose-Ringed Parakeet climbed down a feeder in the Rose Garden. The cage around the feeder is meant to keep out larger birds, but these agile climbers have no difficulty with it. Unfortunately they get the lion's share of the birdseed.


A Chaffinch ...


... and a Coal Tit waited for their turn.


But when there's only one parakeet on the feeder, it's possible to nip in the other side.


The Coal Tit in the shrubbery near the bridge perched obligingly on a holly twig.


But I'm still waiting for the perfect picture here.

Sandy Sorkin, a frequent visitor from the United States, took these remarkable pictures of a Buzzard mobbed by Carrion Crows and Jackdaws.



It was Sandy who several years ago found a Wryneck in the Rose Garden.

The weeping beech on the edge of the Rose Garden, a strange tree that looks inside out, is popular with climbers. There used to be a notice telling people not to climb it, but it made no difference and after a while someone took it away.


A crow enjoyed a potato crisp at the Lido restaurant. The birds in the park have a high tolerance of salty snacks, and don't seem to suffer any harm from them.


But Jays prefer their peanuts unsalted and raw.


The remains of the fallen horse chestnut tree in the Long Water made a picturesque perch for a Grey Heron.


Two pictures from the Round Pond taken by Jon Ferguson. In the last three days the young Mallard drakes have rapidly grown their adult plumage.


This Red-Crested Pochard is inevitably known as Donald.

4 comments:

  1. Yes, he would. That's a good one.

    How happy does the female Blackbird look in the water. She looks uncommonly reddish in the breast, or is it the light?

    I'd need special persuasion to believe that today's picture of the Coal Tit posing on the holly twig can be improved.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's just the light, I think. The bridge camera I use for video over-lightens things in shadow, but I left it as it is because the background looks right.

      Delete
  2. The Buzzard certainly caused a commotion. I have resident Buzzards on my local patch in the suburbs + rarely see more than a couple of Crows bothering to chase though the Jackdaws fly up out of the wood + the parakeets make a lot of noise. Still always get a thrill out of seeing these + Red Kites most times I'm out there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was surprised by these pictures. Usually when the Buzzard appears it sails overhead at a great height unmolested. It must have come incautiously low. No fun being a raptor, everyone hates you.

      Delete