Sunday 10 October 2021

A half marathon was being held in the park, so it was crowded and noisy. But the Dell was off the runners' route, and the Grey Wagtail was at the top of the waterfall.


At the bottom, one of the Moorhens and a teenager preened on the rapids, and the noise of the water masked the dreary thump of mind-rotting pop music that is always blasted out at these events.


The southwest corner of the bridge was also fairly undisturbed. A Blue Tit came out of the bushes to be fed ...


... and another went into a hole in the dead tree which is probably the nest of the family seen here.


A Robin sang on a holly tree, having to raise its voice to be heard over six people banging drums.


There are still surprisingly few birds visiting the fruit-laden rowan trees on Buck Hill. All I could find was a Magpie preening in the top of one.


This is one of the two younger Great Crested Grebe teenagers from the island, now fully grown but still quite stripy.


Three teenage Mute Swans practised flying. They haven't managed to get fully airborne yet.


They returned to their starting point, still in a line.


A Greylag Goose stretched its large wings.


The Egyptian Geese were on top of the Henry Moore sculpture, here seen from the far side of the Long Water. When I got round to the other side they were strutting around side by side. I'm sure they are breeding again.


Gadwalls used to be occasional visitors to the park, but they seem to be permanent residents now and their numbers are going up.


The wildflower patch at the back of the Lido has mostly gone to seed, but there are still enough flowers on the Viper's Bugloss to attract a rather tattered Common Carder bee.


When the sun came out in the afternoon, so did the Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery. But she stayed in cover and I only got a partial picture of her preening.


Tom was at Rainham Marshes, where he got a splendid shot of a Weasel.

2 comments:

  1. It's unnerving to see how much extra effort that poor Robin needs to make to be heard above the ever-present drums (really, why does any popular gathering need to feature drum-banging?).

    What an orderly line the three cygnets make, even when they are failing to take off.

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    1. I suppose drums encourage the suffering runners, like the drummer on a galley rowed by slaves. Perhaps there should be overseers with whips at these events to goad on the stragglers.

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