Thursday 4 August 2022

How to annoy a Jay

A Carrion Crow sunbathed in the parched grass.


A Jay in the Flower Walk wanting a peanut put on an appealing expression.


Nick Abalov had come to the Flower Walk without any peanuts, and his picture shows the Jay puffed up and angry at not being fed.


A Wren perched on a twig.


A flock of about 20 Blue Tits passed through the treetops. You think there aren't many Blue Tits in the park compared to the numerous Great Tits, and then you see a lot at once.


Two Feral Pigeons ate flowers in the border.


Both Feral Pigeons and Wood Pigeons normally have a vegetable diet, but scavenging has led Feral Pigeons to become omnivorous, and this one at the Lido restaurant happily eats fish. The Wood Pigeons, closer to wild birds, stick to the chips.


In the Italian Garden a bronze pigeon resisted being pushed off the duckboard by another pigeon that wanted to come down for a drink.


One of the Little owlets at the Round Pond could be seen in the top of their usual horse chestnut tree, though the only unobstructed angle was looking directly into the sun.


A second owlet quickly dodged into a hole. But when I came back later it had emerged and looked down sleepily.


I didn't see their mother today. Here is a good picture of her by Tom.


Both Peregrines were on the barracks tower.


One of the Moorhens nesting in the Dell stream builds up its second nest. The two chicks are hidden in the reeds. Moorhens often make more nests after they have bred, and this one is in a more sheltered and safer place than the first.


The main danger here is from the resident Grey Heron, one of last year's young birds, which likes to stand on the small waterfall. In this picture the Moorhens' first nest is in the foreground and the second one at top right.


A Greylag Goose was guarding two teenagers. The young geese weren't hatched in the park, a dangerous place for goslings because of the numerous Herring Gulls on the Serpentine. The geese have learnt to breed elsewhere and bring in their young as soon as they can fly.


A Hornet Hoverfly perched on a fallen leaf.


A male Brimstone butterfly fed on a white buddleia blossom, its yellow wings folded to reveal only the green underside that makes it look like a leaf.


Tom took this picture of a Clouded Yellow at Rainham Marshes. Unlike a Brimstone it has yellow on both surfaces of its wings.

4 comments:

  1. Those two pictures of the Jay are amazing. You can see what the bird is thinking about the photographer!

    I always fail to mention how active the Little Owls are during the day, in comparison with other owls. In some pictures they are dozing off, but most of the time they are very alert.

    Tinúviel

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    1. The Little Owls would be hunting during the day if it were not for the humans and dogs, As it is, they have to work frantically at dawn and dusk to get enough, and in this dry weather they can't even get worms. Somehow they are coping.

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  2. Aesthetically pleasing shot of the Feral Pigeons amongst the Begonias! A very under-appreciated bird.

    Some lovely insect shots. I've managed to see 2 Clouded Yellows so far this year. One a couple of months back in the gardens at Osterley Park & the other a couple of weeks back at Ruislip when I was leading an LNHS walk. Always good to see. Ten a penny in southern Europe.

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    1. There are some very handsome Feral Pigeons in the park. Years ago I did a blog feature on their different colours. It would be interesting to collect pictures for a repeat series.

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