Meanwhile, the lone gosling on the Serpentine is clinging precariously to life.
There was a bit of routine Mute Swan bullying.
The Black Swan on the Round Pond was looking mean, moody and magnificent.
The dominant swans on the Long Water were still vainly trying to make a nest on the little island that they have ruined themselves by pulling up the plants. They didn't know what they were doing and are not to be blamed, and it's a sad sight.
The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull and his mate were taking it easy with some swans near the Dell restaurant.
A Herring Gull at Peter Pan looked down hungrily at a nesting Coot, waiting for it to produce some tasty chicks.
The sunshine brought out a Little Owl on the Henry Moore lime tree.
A pair of Magpies were building a nest near the bridge ...
... while a Goldcrest ...
... and a Blackbird sang nearby.
A pair of Long-Tailed Tits examined leaf buds, looking for insects.
The Mistle Thrushes nesting on the north edge of Kensington Gardens were hard at work collecting worms for the nestlings.
An Orange Tip butterfly perched on a flower at the back of the Lido.
My butterfly book tells me that they like to feed on garlic mustard, and this cruciferous plant, which looks like oilseed rape, is a near substitute.
A Holly Blue butterfly above it, not having any holly in the area, settled for an ivy leaf.
Thank you for the blackbird.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the Blackbird.
Deleteof course.
DeleteOur Blackbirds have the run of the place, unimpeded and undisturbed. The only good thing to come out of this tragic lockdown business.
ReplyDeleteDoes any of the goslings have any chance? That Coot would have a go at the gull, if it could.
The little Egyptians have a better chance on the Round Pond than on the Serpentine. Although there is no cover at all, there are very few bug gulls.
DeleteGreat day for butterflies yesterday- had 8 species on my local walk yesterday including my first Holly Blues + a Speckled Wood for the year. Saw at least 4 male Orange Tips. lovely photo of yours showing one but it's not on Hedge Garlic as that has white flowers (maybe you're confusing it with Hedge Mustard- that has yellow flowers). I suspect what your butterfly is on is Wild Turnip (sometimes called "bargeman's cabbage"). All the same family of crucifers -Brassicaceae.
ReplyDeleteI did mean to say that I didn't know what it was -- there are so many plants that look quite like this. 'Bargeman's Cabbage' is a splendid name. Whatever it is, it's been planted deliberately to fill the mixed wildflower patch at the back of the Lido. I don't know whether the gardeners are going to get around to planting the usual flowers here this year. They never seem to be content to leave the original wildflowers to reseed themselves.
Delete