Sunday 5 May 2019

The Blue Tits' nest in the lamp post at the back of the Lido has nestlings in it. The parents brought insects at frequent intervals.


The pair of Mistle Thrushes near the Dell have so far managed to keep their nest safe from Magpies. One collected a slug and flew off with it.


A singing male Reed Warbler near the Diana memorial fountain made himself unusually visible among the reed stems.


A bird's superior breathing system allows him to sing continuously.


A Grey Wagtail ran up the edge of the Serpentine. There is a line of planters along the edge of the terrace which shields these shy birds from public view.


A Pied Wagtail can sprint at a remarkable speed in short grass.


The young Grey Herons on the island cling doggedly to their nest. But their parents have stopped feeding them and they are having to come down and find their own food.


The single young heron in the nest on the other side of the island hasn't left the nest and is still being fed. You can sometime hear it clattering its bill, begging for food.

The Great Crested Grebes' nest under the willow near the bridge has at least two eggs in it. It is very hard to get a picture, because wherever you go there is always at least one branch or a bunch of leaves in the way.


The single chick on the Long Water is still alive and well.


A pair of Coots were eating each other's fleas and lice, thus combining courtship with a nutritious meal.


The pile of branches supporting the Coots' nest at the Dell restaurant now has a 5ft long metal bar in it. It seems incredible that Coots can carry such things, even allowing for their reduced weight in water.


One of the ill-sited Coot nests on the edge of the Serpentine is unusually complete. Mostly they are deserted much earlier when even these obstinate birds realise that the place is hopeless.


On a chilly day, the Coot chicks in the nest on the Long Water were staying under their parents' wings, while the other parent brought food.


One of the mismatched trios of Egyptian goslings huddled for warmth.


The youngest three on the Serpentine are keeping close to their mother, as they must to have a chance of survival.

2 comments:

  1. I wish someone had seen the Coot carrying that metal bar. I'm genuinely curious how it could be done.

    Is the Grey Wagtail limping? I hope it is just the inclination of the terrain that makes the bird run strangely.

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    1. Yes, the two Grey Wagtails that have been here for some time both have that miserable virus disease that attacks their feet. They cope bravely. For some reason -- different types of hunting ground? -- it affects Pied Wagtails far less often. But it is the same virus that cripples Chaffinches.

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