Wednesday 20 April 2022

Birds in the shade

It was a warm day and many of the small birds were staying in the shade. A Robin lurked in a bush in the Flower Walk ...


... but a Wren came out on a twig.


A Blackcap beside the Long Water was gathering spider webs for its nest.


A Long-Tailed Tit flitted about in the middle of a hazel thicket.


A Blackbird dug in the dry soil on the lawn near the Dell and managed to extract a worm.


A pair of Pied Wagtails took time off from hunting to relax and preen on the boat platform.


Some news of the Croatian Black-Headed Gull seen here on 11 December.


My report hadn't got through to the ringer, but Bill Haines knows him and found its history. It was ringed in Zagreb in January 2019 and has been seen in three different countries since then, most recently seen in the Netherlands a few weeks ago. But it hasn't yet been spotted in a breeding ground, so we don't know where it's going.

The Grey Heron that hangs around the Dell restaurant was waiting patiently on the edge of the terrace for someone to throw it a bit of pizza. It hasn't yet reached the stage of jumping on to tables and grabbing things, but probably it will like two herons before it.


The Egyptian Geese still have eight goslings.


I didn't see the Mallard with ducklings, but another female was wandering about in bluebells near the Triangle car park.


The ceanothus bush in the Rose Garden was attracting not only bees but hoverflies. They included a Batman Hoverfly ...


... and a Common Dronefly.


A hovering Bee Fly stayed still enough to allow a few seconds of video.


They are very curious creatures with long legs and a black leading edge to their wings.

5 comments:

  1. One has to marvel at the metabolisms of some creatures, here the Wagtail, and the Bee Fly. Don't think I've ever seen a Wagtail stand still (sort of), and preen. Do their tails still go when asleep, I wonder.

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    1. Birds only sleep with half their brain at any time, so I suppose Wagtails keep wagging their tail. But you'd really have to observe a Grey Wagtail to be sure, since these are much more frantic waggers.

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  2. Interesting story tot he Black-headed Gull- I wonder where it does breed?

    Great shot of the Dark-edged Beefly. Certainly seemed to be a good day for insects. I travelled out of London west to Hartslock Reserve by Goring on the Thames. Nice to see Green Hairstreaks & Dingy Skippers there amongst commoner species.

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    1. I've now got a more detailed history of the gull. It was ringed as a 2CY adult on a landfill site near Zagreb on 27 January 2019, then seen near Vienna on 26 February. After that there was a considerable gap, and next sighting was mine in Hyde Park on 11 December 2021. On 5 March it was seen at Zaandam in the Netherlands.

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  3. Thanks for the update, Ralph.

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