A young male Blackcap just getting his adult plumage ticked loudly on a bramble.
Starlings at the Dell restaurant vied for a bit of pizza until a Carrion Crow waded in and took it.
A young Magpie didn't wait for its parent to shell a peanut for it. It just grabbed it and flew off.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker called from a tree near the Queen's Temple. I couldn't get an unobstructed view, but Mark Williams sent a good picture of one at the Welsh Harp reservoir.
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He also got a pleasing shot of a young Blackbird enjoying a shower under a sprinkler.
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Both the Peregrines were on the tower again. They always perch too far apart for a good picture. I suppose this makes sense when either of them might suddenly shoot off at high speed to grab a passing pigeon.
A Little Owlet at the Round Pond looked down from a treetop.
This is its mother preening.
The female Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery came out on her favourite branch.
A Grey Heron near the Italian Garden stood under a stranded kite.
One of the young herons on the island had climbed out of the nest and was clambering around in the branches.
The Coot chicks from the boat platform were out on the open lake being fed by their parents.
The young Moorhen from the nest on the island boldly shooed away Black-Headed Gulls.
The Moorhen nesting under the weir was walking along the edge ...
... with the female Pochard approaching rapidly to chase it away.
A Ringlet butterfly drank from a thistle flower.
Lastly, another picture by Mark of a Common Blue at Hutchinson's Bank.
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That's a really brave Moorhen, although Black-Headed Gulls surely aren't the pinnacle of fortitude themselves.
ReplyDeleteThat's an enterprising and executive, if short-tempered, young Magpie.
Tinúviel
Black-Headed Gulls are afraid of Moorhens, though I wouldn't have expected one to be afraid of a half-grown chick. On the posts with chains that cross the lake in several places, it's a common sight to see a Moorhen walking along a chain and effortlessly evicting a gull on a post.
DeleteRalph the photo named as Speckled Wood is a very different looking Ringlet! They had a good year round here but like the Marbled Whites have just about finished as adults for another season. For the first time this year had two garden records of this attractive species.
ReplyDeleteThank you. What a surprise -- I've never knowingly see a Ringlet. Text changed.
DeleteOwls, peregrines and leeches all in one post - fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThe leech was an unexpected bonus.
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