Friday 12 March 2021

A chilly windy day made the Great Tits hungry, and a lot of them came to my hand to take pine nuts.


While I was photographing a Long-Tailed Tit near the feeder in the Dell ...


... a Coal Tit arrived for its share of mealworms.


The lawns on either side of the Albert Memorial are temporarily roped off to allow the grass to regrow. Redwings understand about barriers keeping humans out, and prefer to feed in such places. You can hear a small flock of them chattering in the trees.


There was also a pair of Mistle Thrushes, permanent residents which nest in a plane tree beside the memorial.


A Wren came out of the undergrowth at Peter Pan.


On the other side of the lake there were two Dunnocks in the place where I have often photographed Chaffinches. This is quite a small area, and there must be something particularly attractive about the feeding prospects here.


A Pied Wagtail found a small larva in the grass.


This was in the wagtails' favourite place beside the Serpentine, where the Olympic grandstand was in 2012. After the games it was repaired with expensive sports turf. The Diana fountain enclosure also has this kind of grass, and is equally liked by wagtails. Evidently the turf attracts a better class of bug.

This Black-Headed Gull seen at Peter Pan has the ring number EP24131, which means that it must be quite a few years old. I've reported it to the Euring organisation to discover its history.


I didn't think that Herring Gulls were interested in the tiny water creatures brought up by the air bubbler on the Long Water, where you can often see Black-Headed Gulls and Shovellers. But these two young gulls were feeding.


The Black Swan called and displayed to the Mute Swan it was following.


The young swans on the Long Water have learnt to be as rough as their father. They chased an adult to the bridge and off their territory. But in a short time it won't be their territory any longer, as their father will throw them out when the pair start nesting.


A pair of Canada Geese flew up the Serpentine.

2 comments:

  1. It's fascinating how swan parents mould their offspring. Perhaps the dominant Swan at the Long Water is schooling his offspring in his harsh but effective ways so he can pass the torch when the time comes.

    Did the other Black Swan court and call to mute swans like this one is doing? I seem to recall she just minded her own business most of the time. I feel for her. We have said it often, but the truth remains that she must be feeling desperately lonely.

    Great tits do have very expensive culinary tastes.

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    Replies
    1. For swans I think it's just keep bashing till you get bashed yourself. They seem to lose all interest in their offspring after the first year, unlike geese.

      The first Black Swan did follow Mute Swans around, of both sexes. But she never got as obsessive as this one.

      Pine nuts are the perfect bribe for many small birds, which really love them. They don't eat all that much, so it's affordable.

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