A Song Thrush sang near the Speke obelisk. It's not unusual for Song Thrushes to sing in winter. The one in the Flower Walk was also having a go.
One of the Coal Tits followed me up the Flower Walk from Queen's Gate to the corkscrew hazel behind the Albert Memorial, collecting pine nuts all the way.
Persistent rain has created a swamp around the Physical Energy statue. When this happens, Black-Headed Gulls crowd in, I think to find flooded-out worms floating on the surface.
One of Tinúviel's students in Cáceres looked out of her window, and there was a Red Kite standing on a rocky outcrop.
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The Little Grebe was taking it easy in the irises and having a bit of a preen. The Gadwalls, looking for food by themselves, missed their little helper and came over to fetch it out. It came willingly and soon they were feeding together.
There are two pairs of Gadwalls here. The male stood beside a female Mallard on a planter.
When I looked back a few minutes later the Mallard had pushed him off and was dozing complacently on the rail.
The new dominant pair of Mute Swans were mooching around in another pool, neglecting the main lake which was beginning to fill up with swans from the Serpentine. However, this aggressive pair have only to cruise towards intruders and these melt away under the bridge.
They aren't paying any attention to their nesting island either, which was occupied by a Grey Heron and a Cormorant. But again, they can reclaim this without effort whenever they want it, apart from the persistent pair of Coots which nest on the edge and can't be budged.
Joan Chatterley sent a picture of an Egyptian Goose on a post. I don't think I've ever seen one of the larger geese on a post, and don't think they can do the necessary pinpoint landing. Egyptians are used to nesting in trees, so this comes easily to them.
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A pretty picture of a Winter Iris by Abigail.
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I'm awful with flowers, but that is I think the sort of iris we see by the hundreds in early spring in the field. The ones I mean have relatively small blooms and will not be easily seen from a distance because the purple and blue gets neutralized by the green of the background.
ReplyDeleteDid you finally write that letter to British Birds?
Tinúviel
No, I haven't. Must drag myself into action. British Birds' formal style, studded with taxonomic names, is a bit of an effort. Thank goodness I know what kind of irises those are. But is a Gadwall Spatula now, like the unfortunate Mallard which has been booted out of its own home genus of Anas? I hate taxonomists' mad efforts to shake everything up.
DeleteWait, what? Mallards are no longer Anas?! This is it, this is the hill I am dying on. I revolt.
DeleteTinúviel
It's OK, I was wrong -- see Conehead's comment below. But Shovellers have been exiles to Spatula and Gadwalls to Mareca.
DeleteI think Mallard is still in the genus Anas but Gadwall is now Mareca. Speaking of these Ralph, your photo of a pair looks like a female Mallard to the left of the male Gadwall.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the correction. I should have looked at the picture more carefully and noted the orange feet.
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