Tuesday 21 April 2020

A surprise: the lone Egyptian gosling on the Serpentine, which I had not seen for several days, was back on the tarmac near the Triangle car park, noticeably larger.


A pair of Egyptians were eating a mat on the deserted platform at Bluebird Boats. The mat seemed to be made out of coir fibre coated with rubber. I can't think what they saw in it.


The Mute Swan nesting behind the railings east of the Lido stood up for a moment, revealing two eggs.


The idea of stealing Coots' nests seems to have caught on. This pair were in the reed bed on the east side of the Long Water. There was nothing the Coot could do but look on angrily.


Another theft: a Greylag Goose had settled in a Grey Herons' nest on the island. I've occasionally seen Greylags nesting up trees rather than on the ground. This would be a good place if the geese decided to stay.


An abandoned goose egg on Buck Hill. This happens quite often when a goose is taken short without a nest having been made.


Just up the hill, the Little Owl was back in the alder tree. Later it became windy and the owl went back into the hole in the lime tree.


A Blackcap managed a couple of phrases of song while clinging tightly to a twig tossing in the wind.


Both the Long-Tailed Tits in the Rose Garden are hunting insects to feed their brood. In the middle section of this clip you can just see one of the parents taking a few moments' rest inside the nest.


In spite of having very small beaks, they can manage to catch and carry a fair number of insects.


The male Blackbird of the pair in the shrubbery nearby looked down to see that I had put some sultanas on the ground for him.


A Carrion Crow waved a silvered plastic packet around, either to remove the last scraps of the contents or because it was a pretty shiny thing.


A Holly Blue butterfly perched on a clump of red robin.


I'm hopeless at telling Common Carders from Hairy-Footed Flower Bees. This looks just like a Carder, but its very hairy legs tell a different story.


Tom, confined to barracks, found a Zebra Jumping Spider in his garden and got a striking picture of it.

6 comments:

  1. That's about the only spider remotely cute.

    Incredible loading capacity on such a teeny tiny beak. I can see a spider and a mosquito, I think?

    Great to see the missing gosling getting so large (and cheeky-looking).

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    1. It's the big eyes, necessary for accurate jumping. But the extra eyes rather spoil the cute impression.

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  2. Hello Ralph, is there a best time for light on the Long Tailed Tit nest, I might be in London to take a look and take some photos of it one day soon? Your blog is wonderful and helpful during this tricky time. Many Thank you

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    1. The hole faces slightly east of south. Late morning and early afternoon.

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  3. Agree with your bee ID- Bombus pascuorum.

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