Wednesday 12 October 2022

Dawn over the Serpentine

Dawn breaks over the Serpentine in a photograph by David Lacey. The construction cranes in the background threaten the beautiful view.


Physical Energy shields his eyes and his horse recoils from the latest intrusions on the skyline.


A Pied Wagtail was hunting along the edge of the Round Pond. Where the waves have broken over the edge and left little pools they have carried up tiny water creatures that the bird's sharp eyes can find.


I found the teenage Little Owl at the Round Pond in the small lime tree at a second visit.


There is just one Great Crested Grebe on the Round Pond. It's been here for a few days. They never stay here for long. The fishing is good but they don't like the lack of cover.


Wrens can be heard chittering everywhere.


Both Peregrines were on the tower. At the moment they are spending most of their days on their other station on the Metropole Hilton hotel in the Edgware Road, where Des McKenzie regularly reports them on the London Bird Club Wiki.


Two Carrion Crows bickered over a wooden fork at the Dell restaurant. There are a few scraps of food stuck to the fork, but it's also a toy.


Coleslaw left on a plate at the Lido restaurant was an unexpected hit with a crow and some Starlings. They aren't interested in salad as such, but the greasy mayonnaise is delicious.


A Starling hid in a bush to eat a bit of battered fish in peace.


A close-up view of one of the young Grey Herons at the island ...


... and a young Cormorant at Peter Pan.


Cormorants dried their wings on the Mute Swans' nesting island on the Long Water. But I have not been able to find these swans or their two teenage cygnets. 


At the moment there are three teenagers on the main lake, one of them at the Vista with its father ...


... and the other two on the other side of the bridge. Presumably this is the family from the nest on the gravel strip.


The family with five cygnets is on the Round Pond. But where is the old male who has dominated the Round Pond for so long, or any of his family?

A pair of Egyptian Geese stood on the edge of the marble fountain in the Italian Garden.


The arbutus tree near the bridge has flower buds and fruit at the same time. It takes the fruit a whole year to ripen.

2 comments:

  1. Supposing the old cob had died - where would his family be? They wouldn't have been killed along with him, wouldn't they? Could they all have been relocated, like Mr Asbo's family originally?
    Tinúviel

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    1. I'm sure they wouldn't have been relocated. They were part of the scenery. My only reasonable guess at the moment is that he lost a fight with the intruding father of the five cygnets and has left the park with his family. If so, a sad loss. He was horrible but we were fond of him.

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