Wednesday 23 October 2019

Today it was the female Little Owl's turn to appear in the oak tree near the Albert Memorial where their original nest hole was.


There are at least four Chaffinches in the shrubbery near the bridge. They are getting quite tame and will come out to take pine nuts thrown on the ground -- these extra delicious things are a reliable bribe. One of them almost came to my hand.


This Robin perched in the holly tree above can be hand fed.


A Wren paused for a moment on a post in the Rose Garden.


Another scuttled around in the undergrowth near Peter Pan, looking for insect larvae and other small edible creatures.


A flock of Long-Tailed Tits dashed through the autumn leaves, stopping for only a second on each twig.


A Carrion Crow at the Dell restaurant skilfully removed bits of cake from a wrapper.


A Black-Headed Gull was disappointed to find that the bright yellow object it had stolen from a Lido restaurant table was only a bit of lemon.


The pigeon-killing Lesser Black-Backed Gull's mate is much more easygoing than he is, and tolerated some Carrion Crows trying to peck at the Feral Pigeon that the pair have been eating. Like him she has very bright yellow legs, thanks to astaxanthin pigment from a diet of fresh meat.


One of the Great Crested Grebe chicks at the bridge rested quietly beside its father. They are almost independent now and beg only occasionally. As the adults fade into their plain winter plumage the two generations are looking more and more alike.


The peaceful scene was only momentarily disturbed by a Coot. It was ignored, and soon went away.


A dramatic picture by Virginia of a Greylag Goose charging at another.


The little Call Duck on the Serpentine can also be quite fierce when Black-Headed Gulls invade her space.


A shrub in the Dell has been confused by the mild weather and has put out blossom. It's a Harlequin Glorybower, Clerodendum trichomotum, also called the peanut butter plant because of its smell.


Large stands of mushrooms are coming up everywhere. This is one of several patches of Filed Blewits under the Henry Moore sculpture.

4 comments:

  1. The Little Owl is looking very fine, all pretty and perfectly round.

    It serves the Gull right for being a thief. Why are the other gulls surrounding the little Call Duck? (I'd be so hard pressed not to take her home with me. She is extremely charming).

    What does that Coot want with the Grebe family, I wonder.

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    1. I do hope there will now be more frequent sightings of the Little Owls. An owl a day keeps the psychiatrist at bay.

      The Call Duck had found some food on the ground, and was noticed by the watchful gulls.

      Coots just have to poke their beaks into everything.

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  2. Lovely shots of the Little Owl + the Wren. Have been hearing a Wren about my garden in recent days, but haven't seen it yet.

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    1. There are huge numbers of Wrens in the park, built up through several successive mild winters.

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