Hungry Jays waited all round the Long Water.
Usually a Moorhen has no difficulty in pushing a Black-Headed Gull off a post, but this young gull stood its ground and wouldn't be shifted.
But this Moorhen refused to be pushed aside by a much larger Carrion Crow. Eventually the crow had to fly around it.
Three young Moorhens enjoyed a climbing expedition in one of the planters in the Italian Garden.
A crow at the Lido looked very shiny in the sunlight.
A Great Crested Grebe at the island stretched out one of its large feet.
The Black Swan is now completely in control at the Round Pond and pushes and pecks all the Mute Swans out of the way.
There are six young swans here, all of them rescued and released by the Swan Sanctuary after they had been injured.
An Egyptian Goose drank from a very muddy puddle. The borehole water in the Round Pond must taste really nasty if this is better.
More Shovellers have arrived on the Long Water, and they were busily scooping up small aquatic creatures at the Vista. But number have been low these past few years and now we never get more than a couple of dozen.
Tom rushed with his camera to Whipsnade, where among the usual flock of Redwing ...
... there was a Black-Throated Thrush. This is a very rare visitor from Asia.
Tom did well with his shot of the male Black-throated Thrush which seemed to go missing midday today. Though I've seen 3 in the UK over the years + quite a few in Kazakhstan, I've not seen one as well marked as this. Always pays to check out those thrush flocks.
ReplyDeleteQuite difficult amid a flock of Redwing twittering in the twigs.
DeleteWow, there has only been one sighting of a Black-throated Thrush in the past 15 years in Spain. Very well done for Tom!
ReplyDeleteYou can almost hear the Moorhen think, "It's not budging? Why isn't it budging? Foul play!". Only to later choose not to move out of the crow's way in its turn. I'm sure there is a moral to the story, but I cannot think of any.
The Black Swan is now the ruler of the Round Pond. All's right with the world.
I liked the way the gull turned its back on the defeated Moorhen, although it meant facing uncomfortably downwind.
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