It was considerably colder today with rain in the morning, in fact a proper English autumn day. A Jackdaw posed proudly in the bright colours of an American oak.
The Chaffinch in the Flower Walk was having a hard time getting fed. He will only take food on the ground, but the ground was covered with pigeons and squirrels. Eventually I got a pine nut to him.
This seems to be a new Coal Tit here, still shy and not wanting to come to your hand. We'll probably gain its confidence.
A few Long-Tailed Tits paused in a dead tree beside the Long Water.
A pair of Feral Pigeons stood together on a post at Peter Pan.
A Grey Wagtail hunted at the Lido restaurant, screened from the diners by a line of planters.
A Starling on the terrace was a bit hesitant about a pot of mayonnaise, which they usually go for with great enthusiasm. It was ousted for a moment by a Feral Pigeon but came back.
The weather cleared up a bit in the afternoon and the Little Owl at the Speke obelisk came out of his hole.
The female Peregrine was on the tower.
Seventeen Cormorants at the island, out of a total of at least 50 on both lakes.
A Cormorant on the Long Water caught a large perch and was having slight difficulty swallowing it.
The other Cormorants piled on and tried to grab the fish.
Five newly arrived Great Crested Grebes stayed in a group on the Serpentine. The ones at far left and right are young, still with traces of juvenile stripes.
I think that some of the grebes we see are just passing through, as the number on the lake is not high, perhaps six or eight in all.
The male Mute Swan from the Italian Garden was down on the dominant swans' nesting island again, looking resentfully at a Cormorant which dared to share his space.
Egyptian Geese on the Henry Moore sculpture had to tolerate a crowd of pigeons.
A pair of Mallards rested under the sweetgum tree at the Diana landing stage.
I saw only one bee in the Rose Garden, a Common Carder.
Sometimes I while away a rare idle five minutes by wondering which bird has the most human-like facial expressions: swans, little owls, or jackdaws. I'd say swans would win hands down if all expressions human beings were capable of ranged from surly to moody to broody to resentful to furious.
ReplyDeleteTinúviel
With swans in particular it's not the face but the whole attitude of the bird. With that long and flexible neck they can express moods that choreographers can only dream of.
DeleteSome beautiful portraits, Ralph. The Jackdaw does appear to be posing for the camera!
ReplyDeleteI do love the "look" the Mute Swan appears to be giving the Cormorant.
I think it's the big knob on a male swan's bill that, to the human eye, gives him that ferocious glare.
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