A chilly, rather windy day with intermittent rain made the Little Owls stay in their holes. But I checked anyway, and found a male Great Spotted Woodpecker near the Speke obelisk.
Flower beds in the Flower Walk are being stripped before the autumn plants are put in -- an opportunity for a Robin to come out and forage in the disturbed soil.
The very tatty Blue Tit came out to be fed. It won't come to your hand but will take thrown pine nuts, sometimes catching them in the air.
Compare this sleek one on a holly tree near the bridge.
A Wren making a loud fuss near Mound Gate ...
... drew attention to a Wood Pigeon enjoying a rich selection of weeds in an abandoned flower bed.
On the other side of the path a Magpie checked a sandwich wrapper for crumbs.
A Starling at the Lido restaurant sang its peculiar chattering song while waiting to raid a table.
A Grey Wagtail hunted on the edge of the Serpentine.
In fact there seem to be several Grey Wagtails, as this is a first-year one but we also often get an adult female, seen here earlier on the edge of the Dell waterfall. Outside the breeding season it's hard to know whether there is a permanent population of these birds or whether they just pay occasional visits, flying up from the river.
Another young Herring Gull played with a leaf. Plane leaves are tough and leathery, and will stand up to a good deal of grabbing and throwing about.
A young Cormorant dried its wings on a post at the island. Actually it was drizzling at the time so the bird was probably getting wetter, but this is an automatic act after diving.
A Moorhen took advantage of the Coots' temporary absence from their nest at the bridge to go through it for insects.
The young Egyptians on the shore nearby are nearing full size, though they still haven't got their adult face with the eye patch. Their wings are fully developed and they could probably fly, but I haven't seen them practising.
The resident Mute Swan in the Italian Garden cropped a tuft of grass. The newly arrived swan is still here, but they're keeping well away from each other.
I find swan social interaction absolutely riveting. Are they keeping watch on each other?
ReplyDeleteThere is a starling that will begin to chatter right in front of our bedroom window at 7:00 AM sharp, without fail. I don't know why I bother setting the alarm.
Tinúviel
I am not at all sure what is going on with those swans. I think the intruder is female, but it's one of those intermediate-looking swans where you can't be quite sure. They are certainly not behaving as if either of them were seeking a mate.
DeleteI would sleep through that 7am Starling unless it was actually at the bedside yelling into my ear. I've always found the sound of songbirds soothing, though that's certainly not the intention of the birds in uttering it.
Delightful shot of the male Great Spotted Woodpecker-his colours quite intense & love the lichen encrusted branches behind.
ReplyDeleteBut I wish I could have got it without a large twig in the way. Sometimes you just can't get a good angle.
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