Tuesday 6 July 2021

In July most of the songbirds have fallen silent, but a Coal Tit was singing cheerfully from a yew tree in the Flower Walk.

A Wren dashed across and landed sideways on the trunk of an oak tree before plunging into the brambles below. Not a good picture, but an interesting moment.

The usual Jay chased me all along the Long Water demanding one peanut after another ...

... to the annoyance of a young male Blackbird when it landed on the same branch.

Young Carrion Crows had a try at shelling peanuts without much success, and appealed to their parents for help.

A pair of crows ate each other's parasites.

There are now enough Black-Headed Gulls on the Long Water to occupy almost all the posts at Peter Pan, one being taken by a Cormorant.

The Great Crested Grebes' nest at the east end of the island was empty, and the parents were out at their usual feeding station near the shore with one very small chick.

Usually you can tell male and female grebes apart, but this pair are confusingly similar.

A picture taken from a boat near the island by Elizabeth: a Coot nest between two wire baskets with eggs.

We haven't had a picture of the Black Swan for a while. It has left the Long Water, probably thrown out by the dominant Mute Swan, and is back on the Serpentine.

You would think that cygnets would be a bit lighter on their feet than their enormous parents, but in fact they waddle in the same ponderous way.

There were several heavy showers. A Grey Heron stood indifferently in the rain ...

... but just six minutes later the sun was shining. Three families of Greylag Geese came over together to the shrubbery below the Triangle car park, and I wondered what the attraction was.

It turned out to be unripe yellow plums that had fallen from the tree.

The piebald goose that is probably a domestic West of England goose or a hybrid has beautiful blue eyes.

A Common Blue Damselfly rested on a leaf.

The recent heavy rain has brought up some Shaggy Parasol mushrooms near the bridge.

6 comments:

  1. It really does have beautiful, soulful blue eyes. Very remarkable.

    My husband leard the young Crow calling while I was playing the video and he immediately knew what the bird meant, without needing to see the video: "feed me, you minion!".

    I am always amazed by how poor walkers swans are. You see Great Bustards walking stately and almost gracefully.

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    1. It's as if swans evolved to their present size without any alteration in their legs. But it seems that somehow, if they really have to, they can run fast enough to take off from land. I've never seen them make this desperate effort.

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  2. Those astute Greylags strike again. Jim

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    1. They never get to eat the ripe fruit. People come into the park in the early morning and pick it all.

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  3. Interesting shot of the Wren for sure.

    Not a great day for insects yesterday. Hoping sun shines Thursday so I can visit Hutchinson's & Chapel Banks.

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    1. Not many insects here either. A few hardy bees and a couple of damselflies -- maybe they are more waterproof than dragonflies because they can fold their wings. Good luck this morning -- looks mainly dry but grey and cool.

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