Sunday 24 March 2019

A Blackbird singing in the Rose Garden had to contend with the shrieking Rose-Ringed Parakeets that are now everywhere in the park.


A Robin sang on the hedge at the back of the Lido swimming area.


A Starling visited a nest hole on one of the plane trees on the edge of the Serpentine near the small boat houses.


The Great Spotted Woodpecker that I photographed yesterday was in exactly the same place, drumming loudly. Evidently it is his favourite drumming place. Perhaps these are chosen for their resonance.


A few yards away, one of the Little Owls in the lime tree gave me a suspicious look over the rim of the hole.


There was also a sight of a Little Owl in the oak near the Albert Memorial.


Joan Chatterley visited St James's Park and got a fine picture of the adult female Tawny Owl, but couldn't find the owlet.


There is no reason to panic, as parents and young often perch in widely separated trees.

One of the young Grey Herons on the Serpentine island had climbed out of the nest. A parent arrived to feed them, and the young bird was stuck out on a branch and trying to get back across the gap. By the time it made it back to the nest, feeding time was over and it missed its meal.


Although the other three nests are constantly attended, it's impossible to know what's going on in them. This is the nest on the south side of the island, which is only visible from across the lake.


A pair of Great Crested Grebes congratulated each other after one of them had surfaced under a harmless Tufted Duck that was minding its own business, giving it a terrible fright.


The grebes trying to nest on the wire basket at the west end of the island have succeeded in poking a couple more twigs through the mesh, but there is still nothing to hold a nest in place.


The Coots at the east end of the Serpentine have got their huge pile of branches and twigs above water level, but much work needs to be done to organise it into a usable nest.


Three Cormorants fished cooperatively on the Long Water.


Yesterday the dominant Mute Swan here was guarding his nesting island. Today he had relaxed his watch and a Canada Goose was making a nest on it. But he will chase her off. He has already rolled one of her eggs into the water on the left.


The Gadwall drake is still hanging around the dead willow tree in the water near the Italian Garden. It's not clear what the attraction is. Occasionally he is joined by a female.


A Hairy-Footed Flower Bee attended to some flowers near the Queen's Temple. I think the plant is a Red Dead-Nettle.

4 comments:

  1. Lovely picture of the bee! So furry, golden, and round.

    Is it me, or do the Grebes look as if they are having a laugh at the harmless Tufted Duck's expense?

    The three cormorants look like a small flotilla of tiny submarines with their periscopes up.

    There is no cheerless or drab day that a Robin's song won't make better.

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    1. Yes, I really think those grebes are laughing. It was a completely pointless attack, a bit of silly horseplay.

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  2. Lovely photos as ever.

    The bee looks like a male (females are blackish) Hairy-footed Flower Bee, Anthophora plumipes, which are common in the spring. Their behaviour is quite different to bumblebees with more active darting flight. Plenty in my garden at the moment + like tubular flowers.

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    1. Many thanks. I knew you'd be able to sort that out. Blog changed.

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