... flew down to the water's edge to wash and preen its feathers. There are some large planters here to keep it from being disturbed by passing humans.
The Robin at the back of the Lido is rather a shy bird and doesn't like having a camera pointed at it. Here are three short clips of it in various places.
This Robin is its next door neighbour, and mutual antagonism keeps them both singing.
A few Goldfinches chattered in a treetop near the Dell ...
... and a Long-Tailed Tit hung upside down from a twig.
When I came into the park there was the sound of a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming somewhere near the Albert Memorial, but it stopped before I could find where the sound was coming from. However, Mark Williams was in the area and got a good picture of what is almost certainly the same bird.
The Peregrine pair were on the tower again, perched a good distance apart where the concrete projection made it impossible for them so see each other. They are not a touchy-feely couple.
The male Little Owl in the lime tree near the Henry Moore sculpture could be seen in front of his hole from across the lake, but when I got round there he had been annoyed by some Rose-Ringed Parakeets and had partly retreated into the hole.
A sunny interval illuminated a pair of parakeets examining a possible nest hole ...
... and brought out the iridescence on the head of a Shoveller.
This Bar-Headed x Greylag Goose hybrid at the Dell restaurant is not the one usually seen on the Serpentine, which has a black 'nail' on the tip of its bill. They seem to fly in from St James's Park on a whim, and you never know which one or how many you're going to see.
Jorgen reports that the Black Swan on the Round Pond is not the undisputed ruler, as there is a male Mute Swan that can dominate it. Here it's being pecked out of the way when it turns up to get some food.
As usual there were several Grey Herons on the nests on the island. But they aren't going beyond staking out their territories at the moment. We'll know they're serious about nesting when a pair is seen together on a nest.
The Mute Swan is larger... when it comes down to it, it's down to mass times acceleration.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think shy Robins existed. The one in the clip is quite bashful, but I hope soon enough it'll think it doesn't harm to perform tor the camera.
If I keep feeding that Robin it will get the idea. Bribery will get you everywhere.
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