Thursday 25 August 2022

A wet morning

A Robin in the Flower Walk was looking slightly tattered with bringing up young, and a but damp from the morning rain, but it was hopping around happily because the moist ground lets it hunt for worms.


A female Chaffinch perched in a tree near the bridge.


It's a while since we've seen a Pied Wagtail, but today there was a female hunting around the Round Pond.


They nest nearby in Kensington Palace, where the old brickwork must provide plenty of crannies.


A Carrion Crow at the Dell restaurant had won a bit of pizza crust.


After the rain stopped the young Little Owl at the Round Pond came out on a branch.


The male Peregrine looked down from the barracks tower.


The young Grey Heron at the island had got rather soggy, and fluffed up its feathers to dry them.


A heron fishing on the Long Water was almost out of its depth.


There was a single Cormorant on the Round Pond. Although there are plenty of fish, they don't like it here because there's nowhere for them to perch and dry their wings.


A Cormorant preened while balancing on a chain at the island. It seems odd that these big and rather clumsy birds with webbed feet that don't have much grip often choose this difficult perch.


A young Moorhen climbed on a fallen branch at Peter Pan.


The Egyptian Geese at the Henry Moore sculpture are still having trouble with the intruder on their territory. They chase it off but it refuses to go away.


Geese can only graze on the rich grass on the north side of the Serpentine in bad weather that keeps people and dogs out of the park.


A Red-Crested Pochard drake cruised past the island.


Pochards, Tufted Ducks and a Mallard were scooping something edible off the surface of the Long Water. I don't know what it was, but maybe it was brought up by the morning rain.

4 comments:

  1. How long has the territorial intrusion been going on? It's a bit funny seeing the furious Egyptians complaing loudly while the intruder continues blissfully unaware of its trespass.

    Very glad you are getting rain again.Early this morning I saw a Blackbird family furiously digging through the driest of fallen leaves. I wonder what they may have to eat after almost three months of lack of rain.

    Tinúviel

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    1. The Egyptian intruder has been there for about a week. I simply don't know what it's trying to achieve. Certainly not a quiet life.

      I hope your Blackbirds are getting insects. There should be some berries too, even in the hottest of weather. As long as there is a drop of water for them to drink somewhere they can hang on.

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  2. Love the action video of the Egyptians!

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    Replies
    1. Mad birds. Their territorial antics lose them a lot of goslings.

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