Tuesday 20 August 2019

The Great Crested Grebes nesting at the east end of the island have at least one chick, which could be seen indistinctly from the shore through a tangle of purple loosestrife.


The grebes from the other end of the island had taken their new chick out on the open lake, and were feeding both this one and the older one near the reed bed east of the Lido.


It looks as if there is only one new chick, which is good news for the older chick as its parents will have time to feed it.

A Moorhen chick dozed peacefully on a duckboard in the Italian Garden.


The enormous Coots' nest at the Dell restaurant, almost three feet from is base on the lake bottom to its summit, has finally been left to collapse.


The wandering Tufted duckling on the Long Water was by itself again at the Vista.


The rest of the family were on the other side of the lake. I could only see three more ducklings, so they may have lost another.

The gang of five teenage Mallards were having a quiet moment at Peter Pan. They are growing their wing feathers and should be flying around soon.


Their mother was a short way off resting under a bush, her job done.


A skein of Greylags flew past the island.


One of the Bar-Headed hybrids explored the Long Water.


It didn't like it, and went back to its companion on the Serpentine.

A Cormorant at Peter Pan shone in the sunlight.


A young one joined the group, and balanced precariously on a chain while its elders had comfortable perches on posts.


There were at least a dozen Mistle Thrushes in the rowan trees on Buck Hill.



A Song Thrush hopped around in the undergrowth near the bridge. It wasn't doing much, but it's always good to see one of these charming birds.


Starlings at the Lido restaurant terrace bathed at the edge of the lake and tussled with a Feral Pigeon for a bit of leftover fish from someone's plate of fish and chips.

2 comments:

  1. It's a relief to see that the older chick continues to be fed. Still grateful that we can continue to see pretty stripey heads peaking from underneath their parents' back feathers. Few sights are as lovely.

    They say even bad pizza is good pizza. A Song Thrush doing nothing is still a Song Thrush, and worth delighting in it.

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    Replies
    1. If they say that, they haven't tried some of the pizza you get in Britain.

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