While the other small birds are sheltering from the heat in the bushes, Long-Tailed Tits keep going at full blast. A flock rushed around the hawthorn trees near Temple Gate.
Mark Williams enticed a young Robin out a flower bed in St James's Park with an offer of nuts.
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A Jackdaw ate a peanut on a tree stump.
The female Little Owl near the Round Pond could be seen in a horse chestnut tree.
Her mate was calling from a lime but couldn't be seen. Probably he was in a hole.
A young Black-Headed Gull perched beside a clump of purple loosestrife in the Italian Garden.
A Grey Heron near the bridge stared at some French tourists who were amazed at being able to get so close to a normally shy bird.
A Coot washed and preened on the old water filter under the marble fountain at the Italian Garden.
A Moorhen foraged in floating leaves.
The Mallard with six ducklings has managed to keep them all for another day, and brought them under the bridge on to the Serpentine. Fortunately for them there aren't many Herring Gulls at the moment.
The two youngest Egyptian goslings were safe behind the railings at the small boathouse.
A cygnet climbed on to the Mute Swans' nesting island on the Long Water.
A Pond Skater dented the surface of the water in an Italian Garden pool.
It ran around on a patch of algae looking for a dead insect to eat, and found one.
A Common Wasp was on the same patch with the same purpose.
A Blue-Tailed Damselfly perched on a reed stem.
Mark found a Willow Emerald in St James's Park. I haven't found one here yet.
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A Common Blue butterfly landed on a rose in the Rose Garden.
The Mallard and her (then) 7 ducklings first showed up at the Round Pond on Sunday morning; only took her until Monday afternoon to realise it's pretty rubbish trying to raise a family there and take them across to the Vista...
ReplyDeleteShe took them on foot? That's a long way for a duckling.
DeleteIt's weird to think some Mallard mothers may be lacking in common sense, but there you are. Perhaps there are character differences in Mallards as well.
DeletePerhaps the Long Tailies don't stay in any one place long enough to feel the heat!
Tinúvuel
I've seen some pretty scatterbrained mother ducks. This one seems pretty good as ducks go.
DeleteThe Long-Tailed Tits must generate a lot of heat as they sprint around incessantly. But, being very small, they must be able to dissipate it. I wonder what their drinking arrangements are. I've never seen one go to water.
I'm sure you'll see a Willow Emerald soon, Ralph. I was coming back from Wimbledon Common yesterday & changed trains at West Brompton Station. Beside the north-bound platform is an enlarged wet ditch for want of a better description, with sallows behind & Typha at the front. There perched on a Typha leaf was a Willow Emerald. I think it briefly had a tussle with a second individual, but I lost sight of that one.
ReplyDeleteNo luck again today. They're usually in the scrubby woodland on the east side of the Long Water, but they have to come up near the path to be seen.
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