Saturday 29 January 2022

It was a milder day with sunny intervals and there were a lot of weekend visitors in the park. But they hadn't driven away the Coal Tits in the Flower Walk.


A Great Tit perched in the yellow stems of a dogwood bush.


The Flower Walk is next to the Albert Memorial with the great bulk of the Albert Hall across the Road. This picture by Neil of a Chaffinch shows the view.


I could only see one Redwing on the Parade Ground. They can be hard to find when they're in the trees.


A Magpie looked down from a tree near the Queen's Temple.


A Carrion Crow stared from a Paper Bark Maple in the Dell.


A Grey Wagtail ran up the edge of the Serpentine.


A single Common Gull stood in the middle of a row of Black-Headed Gulls on the buoys at the Lido.


The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull enjoyed his lunch.


The wind increased. A Grey Heron stood on the Henry Moore sculpture in a streamlined pose to avoid being blown off.


I thought the Cormorants had fished out the lake and were leaving, but at least six more arrived today, perhaps driven inland by the wind. Three were fishing in the Long Water under the edge of the Italian Garden.


A Cormorant balanced on a thin branch at the island.


Moorhens bounced about in the choppy little waves at the Dell restaurant.


Shovellers, Tufted Ducks, Pochards and Gadwalls cruised opposite the Vista.


A pair of Gadwalls fed at the edge of the Serpentine.

2 comments:

  1. It always makes my head spin that birds with very showy colours will be perfectly camouflaged against their usual background. Redwings and Great Tits come to mind.

    I enjoy watching videos showing the different duck species. Always most instructive, especially for me, as I tend to notice them less than they deserve.

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    1. Grey Wagtails blend surprisingly well into their background in spite of their brilliant yellow undersides. It's a matter of counter-colouring: the shadowed side has a brighter colour which disguises the shape of the bird.

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