Sunday 3 January 2021

A Goldfinch picked out the seeds from the black fruits of an alder tree beside the Long Water. 



Alders are always a good place to look for finches of various species. But there was only one in the tree. 


Today 70 Goldfinches were reported in Brompton Cemetery, a quieter and wilder place than the park.

Goldcrests, on the other hand, are common in the park and you are likely to find one on any evergreen tree. This is one of a pair in a pine near the Rose Garden.


A Long-Tailed Tit clung to a twig on the edge of the Serpentine.


A Carrion Crow found a small larva at the edge of the lake.


This unusually fluffy and neat Grey Heron in a low nest at the west end of the island is certainly the one I photographed yesterday in one of the upper nests.


A Herring Gull investigated a discarded bread bag, but found it empty.


A Great Crested Grebe fished under the willow near the bridge.


The Black Swan is still on the Serpentine.


A Mute Swan toiled heavily up the bank at the back of the Lido to graze on the lush grass at the top ...


... while another pair charged up the lake.


A Canada Goose on the Serpentine enjoyed an energetic rinse and flap.


Others clustered on the gravel bank on the Long Water. It was put in to attract wading birds, but seems to have been used by everything else. I have only ever seen four waders on it, two Common Sandpipers, one Green Sandpiper and a Sanderling.


An Egyptian Goose looked down from the roof of the Dell restaurant ...


... where its companions were making a terrible mess of the deserted tables.


The Goldeneye makes a jump before it dives to give it the impetus to go deep. I can't think why it stays in the deepest part of the lake when it could get its food just as easily in shallower water.

6 comments:

  1. Re. Goldfinches. Though I'm still seeing quite a few around, there are definitely smaller flocks around locally this autumn/winter period. Normally down my road there's a flock of c40 which love the Italian Alders which are down one part of the road. 11 has been the recent maximum in my garden. C30 is the most I've seen at any of my regular sites.

    I went to the Lea Valley Saturday & there were pretty good numbers of Blackbirds there as well as plenty of winter thrushes.

    Nice action shot of the diving Goldeneye.

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  2. Good news about the Blackbirds and thrushes, still sadly scarce here.

    Brompton Cemetery is a favourite place for Goldfinches and I've seen flocks of over 200 there.

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  3. Margravine Cemetery is also home to a large number of goldfinches and redwings.

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    1. Both prefer quiet places with few people. A cemetery is better than a park. That said, Margravine Cemetery seems quite busy, more so than Brompton.

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  4. Very many Golfinches in the outskirts of my town, as well.

    The Egyptians seems to have the run of the place!

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    1. Goldfinches aren't rare in the streets here. You often hear and see them on television aerials.

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