Sunday 16 June 2019

The Reed Warblers have almost stopped singing, but one started up in the reed bed near the Diana fountain and was answered by another.


A few House Martins flew over the Serpentine.


A Wren sang near the Italian Garden.


A young Long-Tailed Tit perched in a bush near Kensington Palace. There are now little clumps of bushes here in an attempt to re-create the not very wild 'wildernesses' of Charles Bridgeman's garden design of the 1730s.


A young Robin perched on a post beside the Long Water ...


... and there was another one under a bush in the Rose Garden.


The usual Blackbird saw me in the Italian Garden and flew over for his daily treat of sultanas.


I was also spotted by a Carrion Crow. It was slightly put off by having a camera pointed at it, but still came to take a peanut from my hand.


One of the two Bar-Headed--Greylag Goose hybrids is partial to sunflower seeds, but not too many as they are rather dry.


The Greylag family crossed the Serpentine Road and the horse ride to crop the grass.


It's a risky place to feed on a busy Sunday, for if some idiot comes by with a dog off the leash they have to run over the ride and the road and a wide stretch of pavement to get back in the water.

There was an unusual visitor among the inevitable crowd of people feeding the Rose-Ringed Parakeets.


It would have had a different view of feeding and parakeets.

At last, a picture of a different species of bumblebee. This is a Common Carder, on a knapweed flower in a patch of scrub near the Rose Garden.


Update: Oh no, it isn't. David Element writes: 'I am afraid that your "Carder Bee" is a bee-mimicking hoverfly -- a Narcissus-fly Merodon equestris (one of several different colour forms of this variable species). Note the short antennae and the single pair of wings although these diagnostic features are not visible in your photograph.'

Fishing in the Serpentine is a relaxing occupation. You set up your rods on stands and take it easy till the alarm sounds, which it seldom does.


I don't know how we coped before these people came along.

7 comments:

  1. That’s a beautiful cat! I don’t think my cat would like to go for a walk in the park, with all those dogs around

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    1. I think most cats would prefer to go for walks on their own.

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    2. I'm surprised that it stays so obediently in its blanket. Any cat I have known would stage a leap for freedom.

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  2. I've seen cats being walked on leads as if they were dogs. I'm not sure they liked it.

    I wonder why fishing is considered a species of sport. I really can't wrap my head around that.

    I like videos about handfeeding birds perhaps too much. I can spend minute after minute watching it.

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  3. The girl with the cat is in the park every day, usually late afternoon.... apparently he demands to be taken!!!
    She carries him in a blanket often without lead, which is very risky if dogs should decide to say “hello”.....

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    1. Thanks. I had never seen her and the cat before, because usually I'm home then writing this blog.

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