Two Carrion Crows bickered with a Herring Gull over the corpse of a Feral Pigeon. The gull is one of the current four pigeon killers in the park, though the last three are not yet nearly as skilled as the original Lesser Black-Backed Gull and only get an occasional pigeon.
A crow in the Italian Garden tried to snatch a fish from a young Herring Gull. Thanks to Neil for this picture.
The young crows on Buck Hill are still begging their parents to feed them, though the parents take no notice at all.
A Rose-Ringed Parakeet chewed unripe hornbeam fruit and spat most of it out. The end of the video shows the debris left under the tree by this messy and destructive way of feeding.
A Wood Pigeon lurched around in a bramble patch eating blackberries. One of them wouldn't come off the stem.
The female Little Owl was in the nest tree, partly hidden by leaves.
I haven't seen the male owl for a while, so here is a pleasing picture of him by Neil.
Neil also photographed a young Chaffinch near the leaf yard. There is usually a pair at the southwest corner but this is the first time we've seen any offspring.
A Herring Gull washed and shook and flapped itself dry. I've put a 10 second lead-in on this video to reduce pixelation of the moving water.
An Egyptian Goose washed on the Serpentine and had a vigorous flap. I've put a 10 second lead-in on this video too.
Plenty of Pochards have arrived on the Long Water, almost all of them male. There is also a Red-Crested Pochard drake in eclipse in the group.
There is a little area of deep water at the end of the iron fence near the bridge. It's a good place to find fish, and this Grey Heron knows it.
The young herons in the nest on the island are grown to full size but still looking shaggy and prehistoric.
The oldest Great Crested Grebe teenager, the one from the nest near the bridge, flapped well developed wings. I haven't seen it trying to fly yet.
This is the next oldest, from the fallen poplar tree on the Long Water.
Three Greenbottle flies explored the back of a bench in the Rose Garden.
Hi Ralph. Please can you do me aa fovour? Could you check out the hobby nest site and see if you can see any juveniles. I have one juvenile that has been caught 3 times now, the first time was yesterday. Its was very hungry and dehydrated. I want to release it ASAP but need to know it there are other juveniles there, it would make all our lives a lot easier if there is one or two still about. You can reply through this blog. Many thanks in advance. Dave
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that there are just two young Hobbies, and that their parents nested outside the park, maybe in a garden square near the NW corner of Kensington Gardens. They are noisy when nesting and would have been noticed if they had been in the park. Also, I am almost certain that they have left the nest for good, and are coming into the park to hunt dragonflies and the House Martins that fly over the east end of the Serpentine. But I don't understand what is causing this young Hobby to get into trouble repeatedly. One reason might be the presence of Sparrowhawks with two young and Kestrels with two young in the area. Last year the Hobbies were seen chasing the Sparrowhawks, but all these birds are roughly the same size and all very fierce, so it could go both ways.
DeleteThanks for the reply. They usually leave the nest site around 1 to 3 weeks after fledging and stay within 100 metres of it, this bird has only just fledged as it still has down on its head, so the family are still about. Again please any chance of finding them? I am away until Sunday, so can't be there. Thanks again. Dave
DeleteHi Ralph - you might want to try the area to the north-northeast of where they nested last year, about 300-350m from the old nest tree. Maybe "Dave" could be kind enough to let you know where the youngster was picked up, to help get you closer - the young can be damnably hard to spot up in the trees unless they're calling, as you know. I've heard food calling, but have made no attempt to count the young. Best of luck to all concerned, including the juvenile.
DeleteIt was picked between the nursery and old police house (twice) Dave
DeleteI heard an adult over the greenhouses this morning (Thursday) but it didn't come into sight so I couldn't see if any young ones were with it.
DeleteI was in St James’s Park today, and saw 2 young Little Grebes. Both were quite well grown. One was begging for food and occasionally poking its parent. The other was trying to fish independently
ReplyDeleteLittle Grebes have always done better in St James's Park than here, possibly because the lake there is artificially stocked with fish for the White Pelicans.
DeleteAre the pelicans dangerous for the Little Grebes?
DeleteDefeated by a ripe blackberry. What a humiliation.
Little Grebes are agile and very fast. I think they'd be all right.
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