From a still picture I took at the same time it seems that there may be two chicks, but it's hard to tell at this distance and angle.
The Egyptian goslings at the Lido are down from seven to three, and the reason is plain to see -- a pair of Lesser Black-Backed Gulls doing their best to eat them. By the way, these gulls are not the notorious pigeon-killing pair.
On the other hand, this second-year Lesser Black-Back was standing in the pigeon killers' territory unchallenged, and may be their offspring from last year.
A dozing Great Crested Grebe woke and languidly stretched a leg and a wing before going back to sleep.
The Coots on the Serpentine were busy chasing each other ...
... and occasionally a fight broke out.
When I went past later, the row had subsided and a Coot was bringing an unfeasibly large stick to a nest in an impossible place on the edge of the lake.
A Moorhen stood in the dry bowl of the Italian Garden which, like Britain, has been switched off.
A Green Woodpecker climbed a tree beside the Long Water looking for insects in the bark, and gave its distinctive call that sounds like scornful laughter.
The Robin singing in the olive tree at the Lido was out of sight, so I turned the camera on some Herring Gulls soaring over the lake, gaining height for a long glide to a distant place.
The male Little Owl near the Henry Moore sculpture was in his usual place, ignoring the warm sunshine available on the other side of the branch.
There was no action at the completed Long-Tailed Tits' nest in the Rose Garden, but here is a still picture of the wonderful structure.
The nest at the Lido also seems to be complete.
This black bee was on a flower at the back of the Lido. I thought at first that it was an old-fashioned English black Honeybee, but after looking at the picture I think it's a Mourning Bee, Melecta albifrons, a parasitic bee that occupies the nests of Hairy-Footed Flower Bees.
The male Egyptian wasn’t doing much to help
ReplyDeleteBut if another male Egyptian had come near he'd have been at it in an instant. They are not very sensible birds.
DeleteThinking about the Long Tailet Tits' nest - to my eyes it looks very well camouflaged to me, but I don't know if Magpies have as poor an eyesight as I do.
ReplyDeleteCoots are having such a grand old time. I wonder what that eager-looking fellow is going to do with that stick.
To be as elegant as a Grebe, even when having a stretch!
The nest is beautifully camouflaged, and can only be seen from one narrow angle. But Magpies watch and wait and notice everything. If I could find it, so can they.
DeleteNice shot of the Melecta bee Ralph- I've only seen this once in my garden despite the host species being numerous.
ReplyDeleteMentioning the thermalling Herring Gulls, I had c70 on a thermal in my local country park. A bit earlier 2 were circling much lower down with a Peregrine.
Relieved to find that I got the species of the bee right for once.
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