Wednesday 23 January 2019

A Long-Tailed Tit carried a bit of spider web to add to its nest.


The Coal Tit at the bridge came down to be fed.


The male Nuthatch at the leaf yard, not seen for some time, was on the fence around the old maple tree looking for insects in the joints.


A Robin perched on the net at the back of the reed bed near the Lido.


A male Pied Wagtail worked his way along the edge of the Serpentine looking for insect larvae. This fearless little bird is often seen on the terrace of the Lido restaurant running around under the tables.


On a cold day, the Little Owl at the Queen's Temple was huddled at the bottom of her hole. She finally looked up for a moment, but that was the most I saw of her.


The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull was stained with the blood of a new victim. He's a very clean gull and always washes after meals.


Black-Headed Gulls whirled and shrieked around someone who was throwing bits of bread into the air.


Two Moorhens fought on the Serpentine. It was more of a pushing match than a real fight. Passing Coots wanted to join in, but it wasn't their style of combat.


A Great Crested Grebe fished under the platform of Bluebird Boats.


The odd duck couple in the Italian Garden fountain were completely undisturbed by a Cormorant diving and surfacing a few inches from them.


David Element took this interesting picture of the Red-Crested Pochard drake shaking water off his bouffant hairstyle.


A pair of Mute Swans investigated a possible nest site at one end of the Lido swimming area. This is not a good place, far too accessible to foxes, dogs, humans and other predators.


Another pair of swans disturbed them and they all went out on to the lake, where two males displayed competitively in front of a female.


There was a rabbit under the Henry Moore sculpture again. Paul has seen two together here. The population is recovering for now, but with foxes in every thicket they are not going to prosper.

2 comments:

  1. The male Mute Swans look like two heavyweight fighters trying to stare the opponent down before the weigh-in.

    The Moorhens are so clumsy it is almost endearing. The first passing Coot did peck at the Moorhen on the viewers' left, did it? Clearly they never met a free-for-all brawl they didn't like.

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    Replies
    1. Coots peck at everything, it wasn't really an attempt to join in. But when a Moorhen fight is fiercer and less static than this one, I've seem them join in with a will.

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