A chilly grey day. The Africans on the Albert Memorial probably wished they were home. (But why is she wearing a turkey on her head?)
The male Peregrine was back on the barracks after several days' absence. He is noticeably darker than his mate.
A family of Magpies looked for worms and bugs under the fallen leaves.
A Carrion Crow played with a small object, picking it up and throwing it around. I couldn't see what it was.
This Robin was just two feet away from a gardener in the Rose Garden, watching to see if he would bring up a worm.
The usual Blue Tit beside the Long Water looked so pretty on a twig with yellow lichen that it had to wait while I photographed it before handing over the customary pine nut.
The two Lesser Black-backed Gulls at the Lido are now definitely an item.
A Coot went down a line of Black-Headed Gulls like a general reviewing the troops. The sloppy squad were not standing to attention.
The pair of Egyptian Geese in the Diana fountain are now on their own after their rival was taken into safe keeping. They supervised some bathing gulls.
Another Egyptian gave her large multicoloured wings careful attention. You can hear her mate calling as he watched her from the shore.
A view through the bridge: the dominant male Mute Swan on the Long Water shoos off two intruders.
A Red-Crested Pochard drake took off ...
... and a Shoveller passed by under the balustrade of the Italian Garden. It looks like a drake in eclipse, but it's far too late for that to be normal. Maybe it's a very slow first year male.
Shower time for Henry Moore.
Maybe it's a vulture, not a turkey? As in the vulture headdress of Egyptian goddesses.
ReplyDeleteThe Blue Tit is surely beginning to realize that beauty can be a curse.
That Coot would arrest and discipline the lolling gulls if it could.
Yes, it must be a vulture. Thank you. But it's still comic, as is much of this gloriously silly structure of which I am very fond.
DeleteMaybe a Vulturine Guineafowl, found in the Horn of Africa?
DeleteChanging subject, I just found this interesting article on the fish that eat pigeons. Jim
Whatever it is, it ain't sculpted right. Like the grotesque attempts at a Winchester carbine and a steam engine elsewhere on the memorial.
DeleteThere are several ghastly YouTube videos of catfish catching various terrestrial creatures. They are the Balrogs of our time.
Balrogs would flee from catfish. They are the work of the devil.
Delete'Fly, you fools!' he cried, and was gone.
DeleteInteresting Shoveler photo. It doesn't look like a female to me but more like eclipse male though one wouldn't expect this plumage now as they should have emerged from this by September.I expect it's a 1st winter male that seems rather tardy to acquire adult plumage.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I was wondering about the colour of its head. Have changed the text.
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