Sunday 2 May 2021

One of the young Grey Wagtails at the Lido tried to catch an ant on a stump. It has the right instincts but there's a lot of learning to do.


A Grey Wagtail brought insects to one of the fledglings.


The Long-Tailed Tits' nest near the Italian Garden was a busy scene with birds shuttling back and forth to feed the young.


A Chiffchaff, also one of a pair nesting nearby, sang from a tree across the path.


A Chaffinch sang in a treetop near the Dell.


Ahmet Amerikali photographed this warbler and was unsure what it was. It looks like a female Whitethroat but its back is more ginger than you would expect.


A Magpie wandered through bluebells beside the Long Water.


Another drank from the pool at the top of the Dell waterfall.


A pair of Wood Pigeons canoodled on a tree beside the Long Water.


One of the older brood of Grey Herons on the island went out on to the branches. It can't fly yet, but can flap across small gaps.


The younger herons in the other nest were also climbing around.


The two Canada goslings rested on the edge of the Serpentine.


The Black Swan was back on the Serpentine after several weeks on the Long Water. She was without her Mute mate. Has he got tired of her constant clinginess?


Honeybees and a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee browsed on Ceanothus blossom in the Rose Garden.


A Painted Lady butterfly rested on a leaf.


This strange object growing beside the Long Water is a Chilean Rhubarb flower. You can also see the new leaves beginning to uncurl and grow to their enormous full size.


A small orange fungus was growing on a plane tree next to the two boathouses. I thought at first that it was Orange Peel Fungus, but it's the wrong shape and I can't identify it. I'm sure Mario can.


Update: Mario has identified them as discarded tangerine segments. But whoever left them up there must have been very tall. Also, why?

6 comments:

  1. Not fungus, but discarded tangerine segments!
    Mario

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    1. Very hard to leave them so high up a tree.

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  2. Perhaps so that birds can eat without needing to touch the ground? Perhaps whoever left those segments there thought it might be safer for them.

    The Grey Wagtail fledgeling is adorably clumsy. But it'll soon get the hang of it. I am entranced by the youngsters, as I have never seen Grey Wagtail young and the videos are delightful.

    I do hope the Mute boyfriend will kiss and make up after what appears to be a bit of a tiff.

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    1. When the Grey Wagtails didn't nest in their usual place in the Dell, I thought we were going to miss the annual spectacle of them feeding their young. But instead we've got a close-up view of it.

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  3. Amusing to watch the young Grey Wagtail attempting to grab the ant-let's hope it learns fast!

    Definitely Common Whitethroat.

    That Painted Lady looks remarkably fresh & there haven't been much in suitable conditions to bring them over, so suspect this originates from pupae raised & released when it emerged as an adult. Lots of so-called educational packs supply these now, with this species the most frequent. Though I guess it is educational & fascinating for a child (or adult even) to watch this marvel of nature it does cloud the issues of genuine migration.

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    1. It is possible that the Painted Lady emerged from the Lookout, the educational centre in Hyde Park a few hundred yards from the Rose Garden. Before the Madness there was a summer show called Butterfly World in a marquee in the garden of the Natural History Museum, where exotic butterflies were raised for visitors to admire. Occasionally the insects would get out and fly into the park, where I have seen a Monarch and on one memorable occasion a Blue Morpho.

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