Tuesday 16 February 2021

A Great Spotted Woodpecker beside the Serpentine probed a tree for insects.

The familiar Jay was waiting near the bridge, taking its toll of peanuts from passers by.

As long as Long-Tailed Tits pose prettily on twigs, I'm going to go on photographing them.

A Grey Heron was busy building up the nest at the east end of the island. It's odd that, despite the efforts of the pair, the nest doesn't seem to be getting much larger.

The three nests in the treetops are all big enough to use, and there were two herons up there staring at each other -- whether with affection or hostility it's hard to say.

The pigeon-killing Lesser Black-Backed Gull was with his mate. I have a feeling that this is a different mate from his previous one, with paler legs.

Later he found a pike, which looked as if it has been dead for some time. Some Carrion Crows challenged him for it, and he didn't insist on keeping this noxious meal.

A Cormorant in breeding plumage preened on a post at the island.

The returned pair of Great Crested Grebes cruised around the island. With this pair it's very easy to see which is the male ...

... and which is the female. It's not always so obvious.

The Coots' nest on the post at Peter Pan fell to pieces when the lake froze, but the Coots have now rebuilt it, no better than before. Instant death for any chicks waits at the top of the post.

Two rival Moorhens chased each other along the edge of the Serpentine.

A pair of Egyptian Geese ate the ornamental plants in a planter on the terrace of the Dell restaurant. No one cares, because the restaurant has been closed by the Great Panic.

The daffodils in the Rose Garden are recovering after the frost. I had to look up the red plant behind them. It's a skimmia.

Two good pictures from Duncan Campbell taken a few days ago on the flood in the Meadow. The pair of Egyptians that we have seen here before walked tentatively across the ice ...

... and a Lesser Black-Backed Gull took off.

2 comments:

  1. I wonder what Egyptians make of ice and snow. Holding on through long spells of cold must not be coded into their genes.

    Brave, cheery daffodils! They embody the return of life.

    And we will continue to admire the pretty Long Tailed Tits, even if from the distance!

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    1. The Egyptians do seem to be slowly getting the hang of the northern seasons. Standing on trees and shouting seems to be a winter activity now, claiming territory for spring, and there haven't been any midwinter broods for a couple of years now.

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