The path behind the Albert Memorial is thick with pink ...
... and white cherry blossom full of Great Tits looking for insects in the flowers.
One of the local Coal Tits made an appearance ...
... and so did the newly confident Robin, which came to my hand again.
Another Robin on a corkscrew hazel in the Dell eyed me warily.
There is definitely more than one Grey Heron chick in the nest on the island, and there was a torrent of clacking as they begged at an adult standing above. As far as I can tell they aren't in the smallish nest you can see but in another one dimly visible behind it, which explains why they are still impossible to see.
This is the older of the two young herons that fish in the Dell stream.
The female Mute Swan nesting east of the Lido had been having a break to feed and preen, and now came back and settled down. I could see seven eggs, but someone told me there are eight.
The dominant pair on the Long Water were together on their island.
So were the pair at the nest by the Lido restaurant terrace. But there still seems to be only one egg here unless the female is very good at covering them when off the nest.
A group washed together on the Serpentine.
A female Mallard at the Lido was chased by several drakes. She wasn't really trying to avoid them, and seemed to enjoy the attention.
A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee browsed in cherry blossom. I think they are too big to be at risk from hungry tits.
A Hairy-Footed Flower Bee visited the wallflowers in the Flower Walk.
I hate it when a drink is better qualified than I am.
I cannot wait for the terns to arrive! I have actually never seen one and I am very excited to see one if they come to the park this year!
ReplyDeleteThey are very infrequent visitors. You'll be luck to see them twice a year. The useless 'tern raft' on the Long Water never attracted them because it was not properly equipped with small white stones and a shelter. I challenged Tony Duckett about this and he said that these would be provided when the terns arrived. A few days later I saw a pair of terns flying round the raft. Seeing that it was unsuitable, they flew away and didn't come back.
DeleteI read what you wrote about that at some point. I wish they would properly equip the rafts to make them more suitable for terns. Also, I have missed the Little Owl every single day and I am wondering if I have the right tree. Could you explain exactly where it is? I feel I have got it right but I have never seen it. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to write to me personally -- email address given on this blog. I don't publish the location of owls. They don't like crowds staring at them.
DeleteOf course, I totally understand
ReplyDelete