The parent with a broken beak is managing to survive, I think only because people are feeding it.
The two young Moorhens from the nest under the platform of Bluebird Boats enjoy climbing around on the boats.
I saw a Coot carrying a twig into one of the baskets of water plants in the Italian Garden fountains ...
... and went over to investigate. They are building a nest in a clump of purple loosestrife.
The four young Coots at the Dell restaurant are still using their nest, but they are now so large that it's a bit of a squash when there's a parent as well.
The Coots at the bridge are showing ominous signs of wanting to breed again in this impossibly exposed place.
However, the nest at the bridge which the Coots laboriously repaired after a Mute Swan had squashed it is now deserted, and has been taken over by a Mallard.
The Mallard on the other side of the bridge is now down to three ducklings.
Three teenage Egyptian Geese sprawled on the edge of the Serpentine.
The young Pied Wagtail was back at the Lido restaurant, and found a small larva.
A Blackbird sunbathed near the Serpentine Gallery.
Yesterday, BlueTit put a comment on the blog saying that he had seen a Tawny Owl chick in an owl box near the Physical Energy statue. I thought this must be the owl box on the horse chestnut tree next to the Tawnies' old tree, and went there to see what was going on. I stayed there for a while but there was no sign of activity. The box shows signs of wear, but it's probably from squirrels.
The only bird I found here was a Treecreeper.
BlueTit said that the box was near the statue and towards the place where people feed the Rose-Ringed Parakeets -- which this owl box doesn't match well. However, between the statue and the parakeet zone there are only two tall trees, a horse chestnut and a plane, and I couldn't see an owl box on either. I'll go there towards sunset and listen.
Three pictures of insects in the wildflower patch behind the Lido: a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee on a cornflower ...
... a Common Carder on a flower that I can't identify ...
... and a Greenbottle fly on a marigold.
Brave heron! Mutilated it may be, but it clings to life and is able to breed.Nature will follow its course, but it is putting up an admirable fight.
ReplyDeleteI love watching moorhens play. The boats are such a great playground or amusing park. The jumping Coot on the other hand is a funny mixture of agility and clumsiness.
Did you hear the Tawny Owl?
The Tawny Owl venture was a complete failure. I stayed till it was dark, and there was not a hoot from anywhere, nor could I hear the young ones begging. Tom thinks he knows where the box is, and I will try to find it in daylight.
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