After I saw the Hobbies in Kensington Gardens in May I never found where they nested. But they have, and the parents and two young ones were in Hyde Park near the Old Police House, making a considerable noise. They were all invisible in the leaves, but I got a hasty shot of one of the adults flying out of a plane tree.
The female Little Owl was calling near the leaf yard, and after some rushing around various trees I found her in the top of a horse chestnut.
A family of Chaffinches flitted about in a holly tree near the bridge ...
... where there was also a young Blackbird.
A young Chiffchaff flew into a tree a short way along the path.
A Goldcrest appeared in a yew in the Flower Walk.
Just as I was about to photograph the pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull in his favourite place on the roof of the Dell restaurant, he decided to leave.
A Grey Heron stood on the Mute Swans' nesting island in the Long Water. Mysteriously, another egg has appeared on the island. Some swan must have been taken short.
A closer look at the three Great Crested Grebe chicks from the nest on the Serpentine island.
The single chick at the bridge sprinted flat out ...
... to get a crayfish.
Only one Coot chick was visible in the Italian Garden. Somehow its parents had got it out of one pool and into the next one. The journey involves a vertical leap of ten inches from the pavement. Heaven knows how the chick managed it.
This Coot nest near the Diana fountain was abandoned some time ago, but life goes on. A Moorhen and a Mallard explored it for insects, and some of the twigs have sprouted and may turn into a waterside bush.
The Black Swan was nearby eating algae from the edge of the lake.
Honeybees, Buff-Tailed Bumblebees and a Common Carder bee visited a patch of Cranesbill near the Lido.
Gosh, I love Bumblebees, fluffy flying tedddy bears.
ReplyDeleteThat hobby is a gorgeous specimen. Gorgeous little killer.
It must be so difficult to find a Little Owl that is so well camouflaged and may be in any tree. I don't know how you manage!
It's only possible to find a Little Owl if it's on one of its habitual perches, or if it calls for long enough for you to get a fix on where it is in a tree.
DeleteIn my bird book it lists Little Owl as a Hobby prey item
DeleteLuckily the Little Owls are some distance away from the Hobbies.
DeletePleased your Hobbies have successfully bred. Until recently I'd seen little of our local Hobbies but have had 2 garden sightings in the last week & another not too far away. Always a special bird to see.
ReplyDeleteNice shot of the Goldcrest- a little while since I last saw one.
I think these Hobbies must have nested out of the park, since I hadn't heard them at all for over two months. They had probably come in to hunt dragonflies over the lake and our few House Martins -- it's been a very bad year for any kind of hirundines.
DeleteThe Goldcresta are quiet now, and I only saw this one because I was looking for a Coal Tit that frequents the yew and saw the slight twitching of the leaves.