The Flower Walk was unusually quiet, but there were lots of small birds a short way to the east on the path between the Albert Memorial and Mount Gate. A pink-flowered cherry tree attracted a Coal Tit ...
... and a Great Tit.
A pair of Long-Tailed Tits swirled around in a lime tree.
A Robin perched on a twig.
A Dunnock foraged in a flower bed.
A Magpie showed off its iridescent feathers.
A Jay waited for a peanut to be produced.
A Pied Wagtail was hunting in the Italian Garden.
A Chiffchaff flitted around in a bush beside the Long Water.
A Chaffinch sang its single-note 'rain song' in the Rose Garden. There was a bit of drizzle, but I don't really think this song presages rain.
The young Grey Heron that has flown in had discovered the small waterfall in the Dell stream, a good fishing station.
I've compared this photograph with one of the fairly young heron, one of last year's offspring, which also fishes here and they are definitely not the same. This one still has a trace of a juvenile punk hairstyle and I would say that it was hatched in the New Year, perhaps in Battersea Park where the herons always breed very early.
There was definitely the sound of a heron chick begging from this nest, below and a short way to the west of the nest that produced this year's two young. I waited for some time to try to see what was going on, but only the adult was visible.
The female Mute Swan was off her nest east of the Lido, revealing at least five eggs. The two on the right are mostly hidden by feathers but can just be seen in the original photograph.
The male swan was guarding the nest while she was away.
The nest beside the outflow of the Serpentine now seems to be well established.
A Dark-Edged Bee Fly, Bombylius major, basking in the sunlight on a yellow wallflower in the Rose Garden, was knocked off its perch by a Mining Bee, Andrena flavipes.
A common redstart was reported on the Buck Hill slope side of the Italian Gdns on Birdguides today Thursday
ReplyDeleteThank you. I have been looking for the reported Willow Warblers for two days, so far without success. They may be between the Old Police House and the Lookout. Or not.
DeleteWhat a gorgeous, gorgeous picture of the Long Tailed Tit. It's so difficult to make them sit still for their picture, but you really know how to do it (and without resorting to bribery!).
ReplyDeleteTinúviel
It wasn't sitting still. I was desperately snapping away trying to catch it in a moment of motionlessness when it was all in view among the twigs. This time I was lucky. Far from always.
DeleteDelightful Coal Tit photos.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Andrena was showing defensive behaviour? The beefly is a parasitoid of mining bees.
Poor Andrena, what a life. If the Painted Nomad doesn't get it, the Bee Fly will.
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