A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers looked for insects in the bark of a tree on the Parade Ground. The male is on the right, with a red patch on the back of his head.
There were about 20 Redwings here. One of them was playing with a worm.
A Grey Wagtail found a small yellow larva on the edge of the Serpentine.
A Pied Wagtail hunted farther up the shore.
Another pair of Long-Tailed Tits are making a nest a few yards north of the lawn with the Henry Moore sculpture. One landed on a twig to collect a few strands of spider web.
A Robin in the Flower Walk came out for a pine nut. This one is now confident enough to take food from my hand.
The two young Grey Herons in the nest on the island had just been fed, and were in a playful mood.
The teenager from last year was fishing in the Dell.
The collapsed willow tree next to the bridge is a popular spot for Great Crested Grebes to fish. Cormorants never go there, as they are too big to pass between the tangle of submerged branches and roots.
A Coot on the Serpentine had a thorough rinse before preening.
A pair of Mute Swans were courting.
The male Egyptian Goose in the Italian Garden was alone. His mate is now nesting in a nearby tree, but I don't know exactly where.
There's a new family of Egyptians on the north shore of the Serpentine.
Sad to say, the ones on the other side have lost four goslings since yesterday and are down to two, which their mother was sheltering under her wings.
This pair of Herring Gulls nearby on the shore may have had something to do with it.
Three Black-Headed Gulls were all dressed up and ready to go.
They look really smart. Maybe there are gull galas somewhere we are unaware of.
ReplyDeleteThe hanging Long Tailed Tit's picture is amazing and really funny.
Judging by the proportion of rings, most of these gulls are about to go to the Pitsea rubbish dump near Basildon in Essex, not the smartest of dance halls. Only a select minority fly overseas to breed.
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