Friday 19 March 2021

The Egyptian Geese near the Henry Moore sculpture have managed to keep seven goslings for another day, but hungry Carrion Crows and Herring Gulls are waiting for their chance.


There were also plenty of Jackdaws, but they are comparatively harmless. One looked for bugs under the railings.


A Coot wrestled with a branch ...


... to bring to a nest just started under the balcony of the Dell restaurant. A young Herring Gull was interested in the prospect of chicks to eat.


The Coot nesting in the dead willow near the Italian Garden is comfortably settled in.


So is the Egyptian Goose in the stolen Grey Heron nest on the south side of the island.


The herons in the nest at the west end, which lost a very young chick a few days ago, have returned and will probably be trying again soon.


The mob of Mute Swans on the Long Water has grown considerably ...


... and the dominant male has started to round them up and chase them back under the bridge on to the Serpentine.


The little pond in the Ranger's Lodge garden is completely covered in duckweed, just what a Mallard likes.


A Long-Tailed Tit brought a bit of moss to the nest near the Italian Garden.


As usual, the Blue Tits saw me here and came over.


This Long-Tailed Tit was looking for nesting materials in the bushes at the back of the Lido.


The Goldcrests in the yew tree at the southeast corner of the Dell are often heard and seldom seen, but one appeared for a moment.


Ahmet Amerikali got a good picture of one of the Nuthatches in the leaf yard.


A pair of Wood Pigeons fondled each other on a branch near the bridge.


The spring sunshine brought out some Honeybees to collect pollen from a patch of Scilla in the Rose Garden.

2 comments:

  1. Not getting my hopes up. They look like good attentive parents, but eventually crows and gulls will always win.

    What a lovely picture of hte Long Tailed Tit carrying moss in its tiny beak!

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    1. I've just been told of a second Egyptian family on the other side of the bridge, an even worse place. But some young from some Egyptian family will get through this year, and numbers are rising steadily. Their policy is that of the supermarket owner: 'Pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap.'

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