Monday 10 August 2020

There are two young Sparrowhawks near the Old Police House. One was high in the air, exchanging calls with the other in a plane tree.


Another plane not far away had one of the Hobbies in it.


A flock of Long-Tailed Tits passed underneath, prudently keeping low.


A pair of Wood Pigeons perched on a branch on Buck Hill.


(I was there looking for the Little Owls, but they stayed out of sight.}

The last time I filmed two Black-Headed Gulls strutting about together and calling, they were rivals and the display ended in a fight. This time they were mates. You simply can't tell from the early stages of the display.


The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull's mate was eating her share of a Feral Pigeon which he had killed.


When she had had enough she abandoned the carcass. A Carrion Crow waded in ...


... and hauled it ashore.


Three crows jostled each other as they fed on the remains.


When they had satisfied their appetite they left it for a young Herring Gull to finish. Nothing is wasted.


The same gull was boldly faced off by a Moorhen when it got too close to her chicks.


The teenage Coots at Peter Pan are now almost adult in appearance.


A Little Grebe fished in the middle of the Round Pond, not coming near enough for a good picture.


The Great Crested Grebe chicks at the west end of the island prodded their parent to encourage it to go fishing for them. In fact they were being fed perfectly well by the other parent which arrived from time to time bringing them fish.


A young Grey Heron caught a perch in the Italian Garden.


Honeybees in the Rose Garden worked their way over a large purple cardoon flower.

2 comments:

  1. Black-headed Gulls are really funny. I imagine that only size and not will separates them from being as actively dangerous as other gull species, but they really make me laugh.

    That's a brave Moorhen. The young Herring Gull looks half puzzled, half scared.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, if Black-Headed Gulls were as big as Great Black-Backs we couldn't venture out of doors.

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