Another frosty night, and there was ice in the Italian Garden fountains. As usual, Black-Headed Gulls were standing on it.
There was still a bit of snow, and a Feral Pigeon poked about in it.
A single Redwing searched for worms under a tree halfway between the Italian Gardens and the Round Pond, a fairly deserted area suitable for these very shy birds. This is the first Redwing I've seen on the ground this winter, though several small flocks have been flying over. The absence of the Winter Wasteland has denied them their usual fenced-off feeding ground on the dead grass.
In the same tree, a Blue Tit searched for insects under a flake of bark.
Neil photographed this Long-Tailed Tit at the feeder in the Dell, with a mealworm in its beak and another in its clenched foot.
He also captured the very tame Coal Tit in the wintersweet bush near the Albert Memorial ...
... and a prettily backlit Robin near the Henry Moore sculpture.
Ahmet Amerikali found the Nuthatch near the leaf yard ...
... and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
A Starling shone in the sweetgum tree near the Diana fountain.
Many water birds seem to like the taste of dry reeds. This Moorhen near the bridge is also hoping that when it turns over a bit of reed there will be an insect under it.
The Coots trying to build a nest on the post at Peter Pan have got to the stage of sticking twigs together with strands of algae. They may be a different pair from the one that has been building a doomed nest here for years, as those were much better builders.
The Black Swan was still on the Round Pond, cruising through a gang of Coots.
Anything submerged in the lake soon gets snails on it, and Mute Swans are particularly fond of these. The three teenagers on the Long Water investigated a bit of netting together. They must have found quite a lot of snails, because they stayed here for some time.
The two Gadwall drakes that have been together for some time at the Vista enviously followed a couple.
This is one of the female Tufted Ducks with a white forehead that people often mistake for a Scaup.
Joan Chatterley was in St James's Park and found Blondie, still with her new mate.
Good to see Blondie again. Hope she'll have new ducklings soon.
ReplyDeleteDo they eat the snails shell and all? I suppose it must be those small water snails. I cannot picture them eating our enormous snails (a delicacy for some, although I cannot stomach even the thought of watching people eat them).
The Black Swan looks like the aircraft carrier and the Coots like its strike group.
Yes, little water snails. The shells are a useful source of calcium.
DeleteThe Black Swan was going through the Coots in the opposite direction, so that they had to turn aside to let it through. I think it was doing this deliberately, enjoying its superiority.
That's a feral pigeon in the snow. Of course you were just checking if we were paying attention. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDid you see the day's Evening Standard? The bird columnist's article about Goldcrests and Firecrests was accompanied by a photo of a Firecrest, oddly captioned as a Goldcrest. Jim
Actually, I just wasn't concentrating. Like the Evening Standard, this blog is written at high speed to a publication time.
DeleteA particularly handsome Feral Pigeon-very much like an ancestral Rock Dove!
ReplyDeleteI also had some Redwings on a site I work at in Twickenham yesterday. Also noticed the crest error on the photo in the Standard.
It was a huge pigeon. I was not paying attention and mistook it for a Wood Pigeon.
DeleteSadly few Redwings here. I miss their chattering flocks. And I haven't seen a single Fieldfare this winter.