Wednesday 17 November 2021

Greenfinches ...


... and Chaffinches could be seen in the treetops near the bridge. Both breed nearby, so there are always some in this area.


Long-Tailed Tits flocked through the trees near Peter Pan.


A Robin looked out of a bush in the Flower Walk. It's a shy bird but I have sometimes got it to come out and take food from the ground.


Neil got a good shot of a Jay here against the autumn leaves.


A pair of Carrion Crows cheekily occupied the Peregrine's favourite perch on the crane in Knightsbridge. They had the good sense to leave before he returned.


The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull took a momentary break from his lunch, and crows and a young Herring Gull seized on it.


He returned after a few seconds to shoo them away.


One of this year's young Grey Herons stared disapprovingly at a crow which was interrupting its fishing on the gravel strip in the Long Water.


A Common Gull perched on the chrome handrail at the Lido.


I haven't seen this ringed Black-Headed Gull before. The number is EL35538, which is quite an early one -- we're up to EZ now and about to go on a second series -- so it may have some interesting history, which I will pass on when I get information back from the ring reporting site.


The Moorhen family in the Dell seem to have only one surviving teenager from this year's brood. However, they have bred every year, sometimes several times, and are doing their best to keep the number of Moorhens in the park up against the competition from hundreds of Coots. Indeed the number is slowly rising and was 31 at my last count.


A Gadwall drake preened his beautifully patterned grey feathers beside the Serpentine.


A Grey Squirrel ate the fallen fruit of an arbutus tree in the Rose Garden. It got through several of the sweetish but insipid fruit before it tired of them and went to find something more substantial.


Fatsia flowers are full of nectar. The sunshine brought out plenty of late Common Wasps to eat it.


My favourite tree in the park, the huge Caucasian Elm in the Rose Garden, is looking fine in its autumn colours.

2 comments:

  1. That is a mighty tree. I had to look up why it was called "Caucasian Elm" and found that some species are found in Crete, of all places.

    A shy Robis is such a paradoxical notion. Most are so bold.

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    Replies
    1. A huge, dense tree would be a valuable provider of shade in Crete or anywhere around the eastern Mediterranean, like Xerxes' plane tree which he commanded to be hung with golden ornaments.

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