Sunday 17 April 2022

Happy Easter

A Long-Tailed Tit brought insects to the nest in the alder tree on Buck Hill.


A Great Tit perched in a camellia bush in the Flower Walk.


Blackcaps were singing in the bushes all around the Long Water.


A Feral Pigeon happily pecked at the remains of a sticky cake.


Two Buzzards flew at a great height over the Serpentine. Thanks to Neil for this picture -- which by the way shows the same one twice, as the other was higher and only faintly visible in the haze.


A Great Crested Grebe brought small water creatures to the three chicks on its mate's back on the nest. This video was shot from the far side of the lake, too far away to see what the food actually was.


A Moorhen swam across the stream in the Dell, ignoring all the large carp swarming just below it.


Coots are building a nest on the line of posts on the edge of the shallow waterfront at Peter Pan.


The two chicks are still on the fallen branch a few feet away, being fed by their parents.



A Mute Swan was making a nest on the island. This is a much less convenient place for swans to nest since the island was tidied up, because the gate in the fence has been closed to protect a reed patch inside and now the swans are restricted to a narrow strip around the edge.


The swans at the small boathouse are rebuilding their nest for the fifth time. The gardeners keep taking away the twigs to discourage them, but you can't discourage a determined swan and really it's time to let them get on with it.


The nest on the edge of the Lido restaurant terrace has also been cleared and rebuilt several times, and the swans were back again today.


A portrait of the swan in the Italian Garden.


The Egyptian Geese on the south side of the Serpentine still have nine goslings.


The Mallard has hung on to five ducklings.


A Honeybee was spinning ecstatically in a yellow rose in the Rose Garden.


A Small White butterfly rested on a fern in the Dell. This is a female. On males, the two outer dark spots are fainter.


Tom was at Dagenham Chase, where he got a good picture of a Garganey drake.

2 comments:

  1. Garganeys are gorgeous. I have only seen them once in my life. Wish I'll see them again.

    The drawing of the Swan must have a story behind. I wish we could get to learn it.

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    Replies
    1. A Garganey drake visited the park years ago, before I started the blog. But since the Wetland Centre at Barnes was built, interesting ducks tend to bypass the park and go there instead.

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