The Great Crested Grebes fussing around their nest opposite Peter Pan showed that something was happening, and there was a chick -- only one so far.
The parents brought a fish and a feather.
A terrapin watched the proceedings from a branch.
The chick from the east end of the island was practising fishing with its father.
One of the Coots in the Italian Garden ripped up up water lilies to make a nest. It already has a perfectly good nest nearby, but Coots just make nests obsessively.
Their single chick is now quite capable of feeding itself.
The youngest Mute cygnets on the Serpentine are beginning to grow their flight feathers.
The teenagers on the Long Water already have fully developed wings, and will soon start rushing around trying to get airborne.
The orphan cygnet leads a semi-detached existence, sometimes with the other four, sometimes on its own.
A female Gadwall busily ate algae while her mate preened his wings.
The male Little Owl was in the nest tree, staring back at the three humans goggling at him.
A young Carrion Crow got a little preen from its mother. Maybe she was only looking for fleas to eat, but it was an affectionate gesture.
A Feral Pigeon obstinately sunbathed in the middle of the busy path at Peter Pan.
A young Robin hopped around in the Flower Walk.
A lot of people were lying down beside the Serpentine to the accompaniment of mimsy chanting.
I'm almost afraid to ask what is going on there.
ReplyDeleteSo now we have 6 Grebe chicks, right? Keeping my hope very high that they will be all successful adults.
The Little Owl is all forebearance.
Yes, we do have six grebe chicks, and there may be another in the newest nest -- they often come to light gradually.
DeleteIt's a wonderful moment when a Little Owl becomes so used to you that it takes no notice when you arrive. The one on Buck Hill became so blasé that you had to call to her to make her look round.