Monday 20 February 2023

A Blackbird discovers raisins

I don't think this Blackbird at the Lido had ever seen a raisin before. It prodded it carefully, decided it was good, and ate it. So I threw down some more.


Four Greenfinches were singing around the Long Water.


The Redwings on the Parade Ground obligingly came down from the trees and allowed me to take pictures of them.


The Lesser Black-Backed Gull pair here were still dancing busily. They've discovered that this is a particularly good place for worms.


The Polish Black-Headed Gull T4UN is now in breeding plumage and ready to return to Mazowieckie.


A pair of Long-Tailed Tits flitted around in the shrubbery in the Rose Garden. They will be nesting somewhere near soon.


A Rose-Ringed Parakeet in a blossoming cherry tree squeezed the base of each flower to extract a few drops of nectar then spat it out. In this wasteful way a few parakeets can completely strip a tree of blossom or leaf buds.


In contrast to the parakeet in the previous video, a Wood Pigeon carefully picked and ate the buds of the blossom, doing far less damage to the tree. A pair of Wood Pigeons has been feeding in this tree for several days and it still has plenty of blossom.


The Grey Heron on the top nest guarded the chick carefully. I didn't hear the young one today but it was making quite a racket yesterday.


The Little Grebe in the Italian Garden seems to have given up associating with the Mallards and Tufted Ducks, and was diving on its own.


Coots often have a patch of red and yellow colour at the tops of their legs, but this amount of colour is most unusual.


The Egyptian Geese on the Serpentine still have seven goslings. Not many Herring Gulls are around at the moment to snatch them.


A Egyptian is nesting in a dead tree near the Henry Moore sculpture, a place the pair have used several times before.


Her mate was on top of the sculpture.

2 comments:

  1. That's alien-looking, even for a Coot's leg.
    It's endearing how gingerly the Blackbird nibbles at the raisin, decides it's good, and them eagerly gobbles up some more.
    Tinúviel

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    Replies
    1. I think that Blackbird will come out for raisins the next time we meet. Thus one bribes one's way into friendship.

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