A pair of Chiffchaffs bustled around in a horse chestnut tree near the Henry Moore sculpture, with the male singing occasionally. I've often seen them here and they must be nesting in the brambles below.
A Blue Tit looked for insects in the moss on a tree trunk.
A Grey Wagtail paused on the edge of the Serpentine.
The Grey Heron in the nest at the west end of the island was sitting in the nest, which may be an encouraging sign but they are all too prone to false starts.
The heron from the middle nest, where I've heard a chick recently, flew in with a twig.
Another leaned down to take a drink.
Herons look odd when they lie down. This one was on the gravel strip on the Long Water in company with a Cormorant, a Moorhen and a Tufted Duck.
A pair of Great Crested Grebes patrolled their territory near the island.
The Coots' nest near the bridge, which I filmed the day before yesterday, is now much larger and has several eggs in it. The sitting Coot's mate turned up to offer a bit of nesting material.
The dominant Mute Swans on the Long Water, which have been very slow in starting to nest, finally seem to have got going.
The pair at the outflow were together by their nest. I couldn't see how many eggs there were, as they were covered up.
The swan on the nest at the Lido restaurant terrace was looking comfortable, but she is attracting too much attention and I've asked for a barrier to be put up.
A pair of Egyptian Geese mated on the edge of the Serpentine.
A Brimstone butterfly rested on fallen leaves beside the leaf yard.
I was all but defeaned by a Blue Tit while having coffee at the office today. It was singing so loud it was hard to hear my companion's words. It made me think of some of your observations about Robins singing ever more loudly to compete against ambient noise.
ReplyDeleteTinúviel
It's amazing what loud sounds small birds can make. The syrinx is a remarkable organ.
DeleteOne does not often notice a full body receptive posture in female wildfowl mating, as Mrs Egyptian Goose is showing. Perhaps it's much less obvious on water.
ReplyDeleteToday I saw a Blue Tit taking nectar from cherry laurel flowers. It's nice to think this plant doesn't only offer a bonus to birds that eat the fruit, where the UK is concerned. Jim
On water it looks more like an attempt to drown the female.
DeleteSurprised that the nectar from cherry laurel flowers isn't laden with cyanide, but I suppose it would be counter-productive in evolutionary terms so the plant has kept the stuff out of its flowers.