The Grey Herons on the lowest nest at the island are still in attendance after another frosty night. It was changeover time, and one of them took off.
In cold weather Great Tits come flying in from all sides to take food from my hand. These ones were near the Albert Memorial.
A small brown bird was running around on a nearby tree in the manner of a Treecreeper, but it turned out to be a Wren.
A Redwing foraging in the bare earth on the Parade Ground picked up two worms in quick succession.
A Robin picked up grit on the concrete slabs under a park bench. This helps to grind up the insects and worms that it swallows whole.
A Robin in the Rose Garden was annoyed by a couple of Rose-Ringed Parakeets on the branch above, and ticked irritably at them.
The Little Owl at the Queen's Temple was making the most of the morning sunshine.
A male Mute Swan was stuck behind the railings near the bridge. He had a wound on his face, and had clearly lost a fight with the dominant swan, a violent bully even by swan standards.
I rang Hugh the Wildlife Officer, who by chance happened to be in another part of the park, and he quickly rode to the rescue in his Land Rover.
The large wings of Egyptian Geese have a very complicated look, because the various parts have strongly contrasted colours. The secondaries have a fine green and purple iridescence.
The heads of Tufted drakes are also iridescent when the light catches them just right.
The Shovellers have returned to the Long Water after most of the ice has melted. There were 13 of them at the north end, feeding around the air bubblers.
David Element took this fine picture of a Shoveller taking off at Barnes.
The odd trio of a Red-Crested Pochard drake, his Mallard mate, and a spare Mallard drake are back in the Italian Garden fountain, along with a couple of Tufted Ducks. Black-Headed Gulls hang around hopefully in the hope that one of them will find a bit of food that can be stolen.
Poor thing, he's looking quite sorry for himself, no doubt with good reason.
ReplyDeleteGreat Tits have such wonderful ability with their tiny little feet.
Swans do have a great ability to look miserable. Anyway, he was promptly hauled off and put back in the water, and I'm sure he's fine now.
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