The male Little Owl near the Speke obelisk seems to be getting calmer about being photographed. When I took this picture two other people were pointing cameras at him.
Long-Tailed Tits are becoming more noticeable as they gather in large flocks for the winter. Evidently this is a more effective way of hunting when insects get scarcer.
A Blue Tit was with another flock in a hawthorn tree on the edge of the Rose Garden.
A Dunnock was by itself as usual, looking for insects on the edge of the shrubbery near the bridge.
This Grey Wagtail on the Lido jetty is not the first-year one we've been seeing recently. Its black bib shows that it's a fully adult male.
The movements of these birds are mysterious and I simply don't know whether there are any permanent residents in the park. They certainly move between here and the colony at Chelsea railway bridge, as I've seen them flying down Sloane Street which links the two places.
A Starling waited on an umbrella at the Lido restaurant.
Magpies looked for insects in the dead leaves at the edge of the Serpentine.
A fine picture by Michael Johannsen of Carrion Crows flying against the evening sky.
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A Black-Headed Gull in the Italian Garden pecked at a fish which was much too large for it to have caught.
Cormorants perched on a fallen tree in the Long Water ...
... and shared branches with a Grey Heron and a Magpie.
A Moorhen stood on a chain to preen. I'm sure they enjoy balancing in difficult places, as they take every opportunity to do it.
A teenage Mute Swan on the Serpentine turned round and was ruffled by the wind.
But it wasn't as windy as yesterday, and I was able to get a better picture of a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee on the Michaelmas daisies in the Rose Garden.
It was a warm day for October.
I’m hoping to visit the Park tomorrow. Are there many Common Gulls around? They are always one of my winter highlights
ReplyDeleteYes. As usual most are at the Round Pond, especially on the lawn in front of the palace.
DeleteHmm... is that usual, to be sprawled out like that on a granite slab?
ReplyDeleteThe Dunnock has such a sweet face. Lovely humble bird.
Tinúviel
No, it isn't. That's the edge of the Diana fountain, with water coursing down the far side. Children were running around in the warm afternoon sunshine. A very odd place to relax.
DeleteLooks almost like a corpse on that slab!
ReplyDeleteVery smart Grey Wagtail.
I've also been seeing some good-sized flocks of Long-tailed Tits recently.
The woman on the slab reminded me of the figure of the dead soldier on the Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park corner. This caused a great fuss when the monument was unveiled. Although it's a memorial to the dead it was considered most tasteless to actually show one.
DeleteGood news about the little owl. Will have to see if I can cram another visit into the schedule. Love the photo of the starling... and the final pic is a great catch!
ReplyDeleteI hope the woman I photographed doesn't read the blog. I didn't really catch her at her best.
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