Sunday 28 April 2019

It's pretty well impossible to video a Reed Warbler among the reed stems, but at least you can see bits of it and hear its song. It's one of three that were singing in the fairly small reed bed next to the Diana fountain.


There was also a Sedge Warbler singing in the reed bed at the east end of the Serpentine, but you can only see this place from a distance.

The usual male Blackbird came out for his treat of sultanas, but instead of eating them one by one he carefully collected the lot and flew off with them to feed his nestlings.


When I came past later, he was out again asking for more.

A Wren sang in the next bush.


A Long-Tailed Tit paused in the top of a small tree before flying across the gap at the Vista.


The Little Owls near the Albert Memorial were side by side on an oak branch.


They aren't doing much in this video, but it's good to see the pair together and we expect some owlets in due course.


I hadn't heard the Grey Heron chick in the nest on the south side of the island for some time, but today there was a loud clattering as is was being fed. It is impossible to see much from aacross the lake and through the leaves, but from a sequence of photographs it was just possible to see bits of it. I think there's only one chick here.

The adult flew out and the clattering stopped.


One of the teenage herons was out of the nest fishing, but I doubt it was catching anything. For the moment that doesn't matter, as they are still returning to the nest and being fed by their parents.


Now that the pigeon-eating gull is now back on his old territory, there are plenty of Feral Pigeon carcasses for scavengers such as this Magpie to pick at.


The recent high winds have destroyed several Coots' nests. The indomitable birds have simply started rebuilding them.

This is the nest at the Dell restaurant, which had several eggs in it, and has been washed away to below water level.


And this is the one at the Serpentine outflow, which was less badly damaged because it has a solid backing.


A pair of Coots are building a nest in the usual place on a platform in one of the small boathouses. Every year the chicks fall off the platform and can't get back. But Coots don't learn from failure. They just try again and again.


The Great Crested Grebes under the willow tree near the bridge continue to build their nest, the usual frail soggy mess. It's dangerously close to a Coot nest, and there will be conflict.


The wind has blown an enormous amount of fluffy little seeds off the London Plane trees which abound in the park. It has collected in a thick deposit on the lee side of the lake, making a soft carpet for an Egyptian Goose family.


Jon Ferguson visited the Round Pond yesterday and, surprisingly, found the eight Egyptian goslings all alive. There are not many Herring Gulls around at the moment.


Tom was at Dungeness and got a fine picture of a Yellow Wagtail.

5 comments:

  1. I would amend "fluffy pollen" to "fluffy achenes" or "fluffy seeds"

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    1. Thank you, done. I never knew what these tiny things were, though I did know that strawberry pips are achenes.

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  2. There is so much to learn from Coots. Whatever the odds, whatever they are up against, however large the enemy or the misfortune, they persevere, they rebuild, they regroup.

    I hereby declare Coots my spirit animal.

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    Replies
    1. Not so sure about that. They seem to be almost incapable of learning from experience.

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    2. Yep, my spirit animal then.

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