Another hot day, probably the last one we'll see this year. A Robin stayed in the shade of the huge Caucasian Elm in the Rose Garden ...
... and a Chiffchaff sheltered in a bush.
The fruit in the rowan trees on Buck Hill is now ripe enough to interest a Mistle Thrush.
The grass on the hill is partly mown, with longer patches full of scrubby plants. This is ideal for insect-eating birds, which can walk along on the short grass looking into the long patch and reaching in to grab an insect. Here a Carrion Crow is at work, but the Mistle Thrushes do the same thing.
A Starling at the Lido restaurant waited on an umbrella for a chance to raid a table.
The Reed Warblers will be on their way to Africa soon. Ahmet Amerikali photographed this one near the bridge.
A Cormorant at the island was panting in the heat.
A Grey Heron looked down from a willow tree at the water's edge.
The two Great Crested Grebe chicks on the Long Water are now diving after their parents, though they can't stay down for long. It's the first step in learning to fish.
A grebe on the Serpentine carried a fish to feed one of the chicks, which were out of sight on the edge of the island.
One of the Moorhens in the Italian Garden fed a chick in the shade of the iris leaves.
A Mute Swan quietly feeding on the Serpentine was 70 yards away from the local dominant male. But that was enough to start him raising his wings and busking around to warn it not to come any farther into his territory.
A Greenbottle fly explored a rose.
Tom was at Rainham Marshes, where he got splendid pictures of a female Kestrel ...
... and a Yellow Wagtail.
That Swan has such a bad temper. I had thought he was mellowing out as he grew old.
ReplyDeleteThat's an extremely pretty female Kestrel!
That's the swan from the east end of the Serpentine, who killed another swan a while ago. There are three dominant swans: the one on the Long Water who has cleared the whole lake for his family, one on the west part of the Serpentine, and this one. All are absolutely ruthless.
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