Tuesday 18 February 2020

A pair of Long-Tailed Tits are building a nest in the Rose Garden, well hidden inside a gorse bush.


There was activity in the Grey Herons' nest on the south side of the island, and I got a very distant diagonal shot before the heron settled down again. I think it was only turning the eggs over, and it's still too early for chicks to hatch.


The Redwings on the Parade Ground looked splendid in the morning sunlight ...


... but were outshone by Starlings at the leaf yard. Beautiful as they are, they're a nuisance when you're trying to feed the small birds.


The male Peregrine flew over my head, coming from the pair's other perch in the Edgware Road, and landed on the barracks tower.


A Carrion Crow in the Dell had found a piece of soggy bread at the restaurant ...


... but decided it wasn't soggy enough and dunked it in the pool.


One of the Moorhen pair at the restaurant was climbing in the hawthorn tree. They haven't yet started to make a nest.


Another Moorhen in the Italian Garden amused itself by walking round and round the rail protecting the water plants.


Coots have a different idea of fun.


The Coots' nest at the Dell restaurant, destroyed by the recent storms, is being rebuilt. Really the Coots ought to wait for a few days, as the wind is still quite brisk and the water choppy, but you can't stop Coots.


A Great Crested Grebe poked around in a layer of submerged dead leaves, hoping
to find some small fish lurking among them.


Two male Mute Swans defied each other across the jetty of the Lido swimming area, safely separated so they could avoid an actual fight. One of them had his mate in tow, and was clearly trying to reserve the swimming area for their personal use. A Carrion Crow watched with interest.


The Royal College of Art is next to Kensington Gardens, and you often come across students bringing in their creations to photograph them. This fairy throne made of Perspex proved very popular with the passers by.

4 comments:

  1. Fantastic video of the Grebe Ralph,especially when it is moving underwater!

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    1. It's possible to get better video in summer on a sunny day with the light behind you, when the underwater image is bright enough for the autofocus to grip it.

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  2. I concur, excellent video!
    I wonder if they are eating enough, or what they are having for food. Fish must be scarce this time of the year.

    I think the Crow is egging them on. Crows are known to delight in causing (someone else's) fights:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANZBs8Za0Q

    (Russian hooded crows, but crows still).

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    Replies
    1. A few more grebes arrived recently, which I take as a sign that the food supply is all right. They are more resourceful that Cormorants and will eat any aquatic creature.

      Thanks for the link to the splendid video.

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