A Feral Pigeon cooled off in the birdbath in the Flower Walk.
A Grey Wagtail basked in the sunlight at the bottom of the Dell waterfall.
A Robin bathed in the little pool at the top.
A Blue Tit followed.
This is one of several Blue Tit nests in the old gas lamps in Hyde Park. You can hear the nestlings before a parent arrives.
A Robin ...
... and a Starling carried food for their young.
So did a Mistle Thrush, but I can't identify the small red berry-like things it's holding, although I have clear pictures from different angles. No matter, the chicks will be happy to take them.
A Mute Swan nesting in the bathing area at the Lido has hatched six cygnets. The nest is not visible to the public because the Lido is closed to them. But Sarah Joiner, who kindly sent me this picture, is a member of the Serpentine Swimming Club and photographed the family during an early morning swimming session.
The swan at the east end of the Lido hasn't got to that stage yet, but she has still managed to avoid being attacked. She was turning her six eggs.
It's hard to show how the dominant Mute Swan on the Long Water clears other swans off his patch, and the job takes some time. This video shows the two main actions. He sails back and forth with wings raised in threat across the crowd of intruders, gradually driving them under the bridge. Any stragglers are chased directly. It seldom comes to a fight.
Luckily the Black Swan has retreated on to the Serpentine. It's such an aggressive creature that I feared there would be a serious fight, which it would lose badly to the huge white bully on the Long Water.
The new little Egyptian gosling is being well protected by its mother, but the odds are against it.
Three of the six older goslings sat obstinately in the middle of the path as human visitors thronged around them.
The Great Crested Grebes under the willow near the bridge are still working on their nest.
A Honeybee visited a simple wild-type rose in the Rose Garden, much more attractive to insects than the complicated scentless varieties loved by gardeners.
So did a wasp-mimicking hoverfly. I think this is Myathropa florea.
Thank you for the video about the dominant swan doing its corralling maneouvre. For such a freakishly large and strong bird it also has a good thinking brain, at least as far as tactics are concerned.
ReplyDeleteThe Black Swan is perhaps too brave for its own good. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valour.
Gosh, I miss Robins so much.
Robins are essential. But so are owls, and our Little Owl has gone AWOL and I can't find her.
DeleteOh my God. Is there reason for concern?
DeleteThis is one of the original six Little Owls that arrived in the park just before I started the blog in April 2012. How long does a Little Owl live? I haven't seen her mate for quite a while. I haven't seen an owl at the Albert Memorial for longer.
DeleteAll three pairs have bred, but with what success? There are reports of a Little Owl north of the Round Pond, where I saw a pair several years ago, but just for a few days. No one has heard a Little Owl recently.
Yes, the hoverfly is a Myathropa florea- a female from the well spaced eyes. Attractive hoverflies sometimes called the batman hoverfly due to the dark pattern on the thorax.
ReplyDeleteHurrah, I got it right for once.
Delete