A pair of Tufted Ducks were not bothered by being near a lee shore in a strong wind, and continued diving in the waves.
Most of the Pochards have left, but there was still a pair at the north end of the Long Water.
A Gadwall drake cruised elegantly past the dead willow tree.
The white Mallard was preening in his usual place next to the reed bed. He is now pure white, as bright as a swan, but you can see that the feathers under his wing, not bleached by exposure, still have their original creamy colour.
A Great Crested Grebe took it easy on the sheltered side of the island.
A Moorhen poked around in a plant pot on the Bluebird Boats platform.
The young Grey Herons in the nest on the island lined up for a group portrait.
The pigeon-killing Lesser Black-Backed Gull and his mate stood side by side in their usual place near the Dell restaurant. Work on the restaurant is due to finish in eight days, and then they can go back to their favourite perch on the roof.
The little flock of Pied Wagtails on the north shore of the Serpentine included two females hunting side by side. They are paler than males, with grey backs instead of black.
One of them caught a fly.
There were still a few Redwings on the Parade Ground, looking for worms in an area of rough grass that hasn't been disturbed by the gigantic returfing operation. The strong wind swept through the grass, but they didn't seem to be disturbed by it.
The Nuthatches in the leaf yard came out of the bushes.
One of them came to take food from my hand several times.
The feeders in the Dell are the best place to photograph Long-Tailed Tits, since they pause on the branches before coming down.
Funny how the Swans don't even attempt to budge when a human walks past and through them. The Tufted Ducks are admirably buoyant and precise: anyone else would be dashed against the shore in such strong wind. The videos make it sound like a gale-force wind!
ReplyDeleteGreat picture of the Wagtail swallowing a fly. Usually it is hard to see what they are eating!
No news of Blondie, by the way?
That's what the swans are like here. They lie around on the path in people's way and expect them to walk around -- which they do. Most people are afraid of swans and believe that old story about how they can break your arm with one blow of their wing.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen Blondie for a few days, but there are a lot of Egyptians on the Serpentine and she's easy to overlook.