Tuesday 30 June 2020

The Great Crested Grebes who nested under the willow near the bridge fed their two chicks. This video was shot looking down from the bridge.


The other family could be seen at a distance from the far side of the Long Water.


The Coot nest at the Dell restaurant is getting ridiculously tall -- and remember that it's built in 2ft 6in of water, so it's a mighty structure. I hope it doesn't share the fate of the Tower of Babel.


The nest on the post at Peter Pan is also quite large but, like the biblical tower, doomed to end in failure, while the better sited nest at the restaurant has succeeded several times in past years.


A chick near the Lido was fed by both parents at the same time and had to decide which offer to take.


A young Moorhen struck a pose at the Lido ...


... and so did a Grey Heron near the Italian Garden.


The dominant male Mute Swan on the Long Water, in front of his mate and three cygnets, had a faceoff with the second male who only has one cygnet. They seem to have come to an agreement that restricts their rivalry to display without fighting. It's possible that the number two male is the number one's son.


(The two scenes were shot within three minutes, during which it stopped raining.)

A huddle of young Egyptian Geese decided that five's company ...


... and six is a crowd.


Black-Headed Gulls perched on the dead willow near the Italian Garden.


There were two young Blackbirds at the back of the Lido with their parents, who were not feeding them and clearly thought it was time that the youngsters learned to fend for themselves.


They aren't much good at it yet.


The young Starlings have been expert scavengers for some time.


The same Wren was still scolding beside the Long Water. The little bird seems to live in perpetual fury.


A Common Carder bee worked over the wildflower patch at the back of the Lido.

9 comments:

  1. Very entertaining videos of the grey crested Grebes and the two male mute swans..I watched them twice...
    The common carder bee is a fabulous pic, wild and wondrous...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bumblebees are endlessly fascinating, and we have several kinds in the park.

      Delete
  2. Carder bees are bumblebees, right? We call them "abejorro de los cardos", thistle bumblebee.

    I am always mesmerized by Grebe feet. Even tiny chicks are perfect propulsion machines.

    Poor incompetent Blackbird. Isn't it a bit young to be fending for itself without parents around?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they are. Not all bumblebees have 'bumble' in their English common names. But I hadn't realised that 'Carder' was from carduus -- thank you. All bumblebees, and indeed other bees, seem to like thistle flowers.

      Delete
  3. Goldfinch is carduelis carduelis. Possibly as they also feed on thistles.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really like how you capitalize the first letter of the names of each animal/bird. Small things like that really make a difference; it shows a lot of respect. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Capitals are used when giving the proper common name of a species. So it's 'Great Crested Grebe' but 'a grebe'. This can be tricky when naming insects -- is it a Common Blue Damselfly or a Common Blue damselfly when it's usually referred to as a Common Blue? It's impossible to be consistent here.

      Delete