Friday 5 November 2021

A Pied Wagtail looked for insects between the slates on the boathouse roof.


Thanks to Ahmet Amerikali for this picture of the Grey Wagtail on the edge of the Serpentine.


A Starling washed on the edge.


A Dunnock looked out of a rose bush in the Rose Garden.


A Rose-Ringed Parakeet in the Flower Walk ate the red outside of a yew fruit. They tear off the whole twig, chew vaguely at the fruit, and then drop it and tear off another twig. The ground underneath is littered with twigs from their destructive habit.


The male Peregrine was on the crane enjoying the sunshine.


A young Herring Gull ate the pigeon eater's leftovers. It was bothered by a Carrion Crow ...


... and took its meal into the water.


The Black-Headed Gull EZ73323 was on its usual post on the south shore of the Serpentine.


A Great Crested Grebe fished in the wire baskets under the bridge. These baskets serve as fish hatcheries, and even when the young fish have grown up there are some lurking in the shadows.


A Moorhen amused itself by knocking two Black-Headed Gulls off their posts.


The Black Swan came ashore to get some peanuts, of which it is fond. But, unlike the Mute Swans, it won't touch sunflower hearts. Of course it has the usual unhealthy appetite for the bread that other people give it.


There were three female Teal on the Long Water.


A Shoveller drake cruised past the Vista.


A Tufted drake washed and preened on the Serpentine, doing its tuft with its foot.


Another picture from Ahmet: a female Mallard about to splash down.


Martin Sacks sent this video from Margate. I think these waders are Turnstones. Update: Tom confirms that they are indeed Turnstones. There are also a couple of Redshanks.

4 comments:

  1. A few years ago, I saw quite a big flock of Sanderlings at Margate ( a first for me), as well as some Redshanks and others. Near the Turner gallery, by that small sheltered harbour, if that's what it is. I wonder if this is a popular landing post for waders, do you know? It was unexpected to me in such an otherwise human dominated place.

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    1. I think this was shot in exactly the same place. The original clip showed the small harbour, but I cut it down.

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  2. It must have been such a great and positive surprise to find Turnstones at Margate!

    For some reason the Tuftie doing its tuft reminds me of Travolta's comb routine in Grease.

    Always enjoyable and instructive to watch Grebes hard at work, although I suspect the loitering Gull was waiting for its chance to rob the Grebe of the fruit of its labours.

    That Moorhen is the boss. I love how it keeps knocking gulls off, and its little run like a tightrope walker.

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    1. The gull was indeed waiting, and the grebe knew and resented this. It surfaced under the gull pointed beak first, which caused the gull to fly off. Sadly the autofocus on my camera wasn't up to that incident, so all that was recorded was a blur too bad to show here.

      Moorhens really have fun and enjoy their agility.

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