It was a dark and dismal day. The pilot of an ambulance helicopter landing on Buck Hill at noon felt it necessary to turn on the landing lights.
There was a bit of wind, enough to disarrange a Grey Heron facing the wrong way ...
... and ruffle a Carrion Crow on a noticeboard.
The Grey Wagtails are staying on the shore by the Lido restaurant terrace, a good place for them because spilt food attracts insects. Yesterday Ahmet Amerikali got this pleasing shot of one.
Today they were joined by a Pied Wagtail.
The Starlings were out in force, waiting on the restaurant tables and the roof for a chance to grab scraps.
The Long-Tailed Tits were in their favourite hawthorn trees near the Italian Garden.
A young Herring Gull dived in the shallow water at the edge of the lake looking for crayfish. It didn't find any and flew off.
A small party of Black-Headed Gulls washed and looked for food on the edge of the Serpentine.
A Cormorant caught a largish pike. Thanks again to Ahmet for this picture.
A Mute Swan splashed down on the Serpentine.
One of the three teenagers on the Long Water flapped its fine new wings, white unlike the rest of its plumage because they are part of its adult equipment.
The restless Black Swan has come back from the Round Pond to the Serpentine again.
A Harlequin ladybird hid in the middle of an ivy flower as two Common Wasps worked over the top.
More mushrooms from the prolific patch of wood chips near Physical Energy. These seem to belong to the Ink Cap genus Coprinopsis, as the largest one is dissolving into black slime, but they are unusually big, up to 5 inches tall.
The Black Swan dure gets around. It cannot stay put in any single place. The young Mute Swan's face is very sweet, compared to the usual expression of an adult. I wonder if life experience turns them moody and morose.
ReplyDeleteThe birds look chilly. They look as if they were huddling themselves.
The three young swans on the Long Water spend most of their time with their aggressive father. He's teaching them to be dreadful.
Delete