Traditionally these streaks of high cirrus cloud are a sign of coming wind:
Mackerel skies and mare's tailsTwo male Reed Warblers sang on the Long Water, as well as the ones in the Diana fountain reed bed.
Make tall ships carry low sails.
Behind the Lido, two Blackbirds with territories either side of the path exchanged phrases of song.
One of the Mistle Thrushes nesting near the Serpentine gallery hopped around in the grass.
The Blue Tit nesting in the tall lamp post in the Rose Garden is looking very tatty after the demanding job of feeding the chicks. Thanks to Jon Spoard for this picture.
The Little Owl near the Henry Moore sculpture was in her favourite alder tree.
A pair of Great Crested Grebes under the willow near the bridge are making a nest. -- or at least, they are throwing together a sloppy mess that might grow into a nest some time.
The Coots' nest in the pedalo now has eggs in it. You can't see them from the shore, but the parent was turning them over.
So was the Mute Swan nesting near the Lido.
The six older Egyptian goslings on the Serpentine were at the outflow. They are growing fast now.
One of the five smaller goslings looked for insects and larvae along the edge.
The gang of five Red-Crested Pochards on the Serpentine were having a wash.
Two Buff-Tailed Bumblebees worked over an allium in the Rose Garden.
These big round flower heads are very attractive to insects. Here is a fine picture by Mark Williams of a Peacock butterfly in the Flower Walk.
I actually read a while ago that a physicist from an American university went to the trouble of proving, to anyone's satisfaction, that a bumblebee does indeed have the physical capability of flying.
ReplyDeleteI could have sworn that we knew that already, from seeing it with our own eyes!
Poor Blue Tit. It is indeed looking very much the worse for wear.
Bumblebee flight is all about producing vortices. Descartes was right.
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