As the morning drizzle cleared up two Song Thrushes started singing at each other between the Speke obelisk and the leaf yard.
A Mistle Thrush could be seen on the grass near the Serpentine Gallery. Note the different shape of the spots.
There were Redwings in the trees on the Hyde Park side of the West Carriage Drive (that's the road that separates Hyde Park from Kensington Gardens).
A Robin in the Rose Garden was singing at maximum volume to be heard over the din from the Wasteland. The funfair closes at the end of this week, but it will be at least another fortnight before the huge shanty town is cleared up and we and the Robins can have a bit of peace.
The Blue Tit in the brambles on the west side of the leaf yard is now a regular customer for pine nuts.
I hadn't seen any Jackdaws around here for several days and was beginning to get a bit worried about them, but a fair number came back today. There are two pairs with nest holes in an oak at the southwest corner of the leaf yard, and I'm sure these aren't the only nest sites.
The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull walked through a crowd of pigeons looking for a chance. The pigeons know they can get away if they keep at a safe distance, as they can take off faster than he can.
The aggressive Black-Headed Gull at the Diana fountain landing stage was keeping an eye on his property from the top of the Big Bird statue.
The Cormorants have by no means given up, and there were about ten on the Long Water and three on posts at the Serpentine island.
The Little Grebe in the Italian Garden has found a new place to lurk, on the side of the planter away from the humans pointing cameras at it. But you can still get a reasonable view with a long lens.
It came out and started fishing near a pair of Mallards, but it has to keep farther away from these bad-tempered ducks than it does from the peaceful Gadwalls.
A Tufted drake turned over to preen his shining white belly.
An intruding Mute Swan splashed down on the Long Water, and there were several more on the gravel strip. More work for the dominant pair, but all they have to do is turn up and look menacing and the invaders leave without a fight.
Lots to learn from swans about crowd management.
ReplyDeleteWho knows what the jackdaws have been up to in their absence. Maybe they were bored with the funfair amenities and chose to take a breather from it.
Pigeon Killer looks suitably frustrated. Tantalized, even, in the etymological sense of the word.
Tinúviel
Nice to see the various thrush species depicted here. So far Mistle Thrush has eluded me on the first 3 days of the New Year; not that uncommon a species around here, though on Monday on a local walk along the River Brent had about 15 singing Song Thrushes.
ReplyDeleteIt's better than you thought. Yesterday, Tuesday, was the funfair's last
ReplyDeleteday of operation though, as you say, it will be another two weeks before
it's dismantled, when crows, gulls, wagtails and redwings will take over. Joe