It was a beautiful sunny day with a mild breeze. The male Little Owl at the Round Pond appeared briefly on the dead tree but was frightened into the hole by a man with a dog before I could get any closer. They are afraid of dogs even when safely out of reach.
Later I found the female on a horse chestnut branch.
A Wren perched on a twig by the Queen's Temple.
Grey Wagtails are nesting on the Serpentine island. One perched on a post carrying insects.
A Grey Heron flew to the island. The chicks could be heard clattering.
A Coot brought a twig to the nest by the bridge.
It's certainly gosling time. A pair of Greylag Geese on the Serpentine have four.
There's another pair with three.
These Canadas have five.
Egyptians at the Round Pond have ten young ...
.. but a pair on the Serpentine have thirteen.
A little Egyptian darted around the Serpentine catching midges. Goslings need extra protein to grow.
A Mute Swan splashed down on the Serpentine.
Carp mooched around in the little stream in the Dell.
Today's insects include a Silver Y moth in the grass near the Queen's Temple. They are named for the Y-shaped marks on their wings.
Just across the path a Holly Blue butterfly perched on a bramble.
The familiar Mining Bee in the Rose Garden was on a clump of forget-me-nots.
A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee was laden almost to bursting with pollen.
I marvel at how that bumblebee are is able to take off even loaded to the gills, as it were, considering the old chestnut that they shouldn't even be able to fly (which I know it's not true, but it makes a good story).
ReplyDeleteTinúviel
The explanation -- that it's all done with vortices -- sounds more like Descartes than science.
DeleteThe Silver-Y is certainly a sign of some insect immigration. I wonder when it arrived. Some years they can be abundant but I hardly saw any last year.
ReplyDeleteCertainly plenty of Holly Blues around now. Yours is a male. I had 2 cavorting in the front garden yesterday. I was pleased to find 3 fresh Small Coppers in Richmond Park earlier in the day.
There's a place in the Flower Walk where every year I see Speckled Woods fighting. They were at it a couple of days ago. It never occurs to one of them to move on a bit and have some peace.
DeleteFond as I am of dogs, I have to admit they are a nuisance to birds. With the increase in numbers, I wonder whether some local authorities will have to restrict their access in some areas to help wildlife? Great pictures as ever
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't trust local authorities to act sensibly. Voters have dogs.
DeleteFair enough. There is little sense in politics!
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