Wednesday 10 July 2019

While one of the Great Crested Grebes from the nest on the island was looking after their chick ...


... the pair from the other end of the island, who don't have a nest at the moment, used their nest to mate on. If they had been noticed there would have been a serious fight.


A teenage Moorhen sat beside on of its parents on the edge of the Serpentine. It's larger than the parent.


There is only one chick in the Coots' nest above the weir where the water flows out of the Serpentine. There is a constant danger that it will fall off the nest and be swept over the weir -- though when this happened last year, one chick survived.


The two Pochard ducklings at the Vista were diving for food and preening, supervised by their attentive mother.


The Mallard brought her six ducklings across the waterfront at Peter Pan ...


... and parked them in a row on a fallen branch.


The two ducklings on the Serpentine are still all right, and were at the landing stage next to the Diana fountain. This gives them somewhere to hide when a gull comes over.


The Mallard drakes are going into eclipse, and look tatty.


A view of the Little Owl in the oak near the Albert Memorial.


Two young Blackbirds chased their mother through the undergrowth. In fact they are now old enough to find their own food.


A female Blackcap collected insects in the brambles near the bridge.


A Blue Tit stared impatiently from a yew twig, expecting to be fed.


This Rose-Ringed Parakeet in the Rose Garden was making a tremendous fuss about something, but I couldn't see what it was.


A Meadow Brown butterfly perches in the wildflower patch at Peter Pan.


Tom was at Rainham Marshes, and got a video of two young Bearded Tits picking up grit from a tray.

2 comments:

  1. What an excellent and dramatic picture of the female Blackcap!

    That Bluetit's face looks vaguely alien, with the slanted-looking black eyes and the triangular face.

    Very enjoyable video of the young Bearded Tits. They are the cutest thing.

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    1. Blue Tits have a very commanding stare, and they expect to be served at once. I always feel unkind pausing to photograph them instead of instantly producing a pine nut.

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