A Chiffchaff sang in the top of an oak near the leaf yard.
The Goldcrest at Peter Pan was singing in his favourite yew tree.
A pair of Long-Tailed Tits flitted around at the east end of the Lido. They have a nest somewhere in the bushes.
A Jay in the Flower Walk waited to be fed.
There is just one ornamental rock in the Long Water, near the Italian Garden. It provides a convenient fishing platform for a Grey Heron.
A Great Crested Grebe was also fishing in its own way over the wire baskets at the bridge.
A Mallard on the Serpentine has 11 brand new ducklings.
There are never many female Pochards in the park -- they seem to have the worst sex ratio of any duck, which is one reason why the species is in sharp decline and red listed. This drake is lucky to have a mate.
As far as I know, Common Pochards have never tried to breed in the park, though we had a pair of Red-Crested Pochards a few years ago that successfully brought up two young.
More Greylag goslings have been hatched on the Serpentine, with broods of four and three. They fed in the daisies while parents kept an eye out for approaching dogs.
The Black Swan has resumed his pursuit of a girlfriend. She didn't seem interested, but at least didn't chase him away.
Some heartless person had dumped a tame agouti rabbit in Kensington Gardens. It didn't know what to do and was wandering aimlessly, sniffing at people's feet ...
... when, of course, it was attacked by a loose dog. At this point I stopped filming, because we had to rescue the rabbit. Two more dogs joined in the chase, but luckily several passers by intervened and we managed to fend them off, while the dog owners, as usual, seethed with righteous indignation and said we shouldn't have 'allowed the rabbit in' -- as if we had. The poor creature was only slightly injured but terribly shocked and was playing dead, as rabbits do. After a few minutes it revived, and the second part of the video shows it recovering.
Luckily the excellent Jenna was not far away ...
... and she quickly organised a rescue. We got a cardboard box from the boathouse café -- the staff were very helpful -- and sent it off in a Uber to the volunteers, who will give it antibiotics and find it a good home.
This peculiar hawthorn near the leaf yard, which seems to have both pink and white blossom, is actually two small trees growing close together.
The new Serpentine Gallery pavilion by Lina Ghotmeh is nearing completion. Unusually among the daft structures commissioned by the gallery it's a real pavilion, with a roof to keep off the London rain.
Sounds like you may have the rehoming under control, but just in case, the kind volunteers at Hounslow Animal Welfare Society rehome rabbits: https://www.haws-animals.org.uk/
ReplyDeleteMany thanks. I will pass this on to Jenna (though she may know already).
DeleteLuckily we don't always get pet rabbits hopping about, but just goes to show how beyond cruel and sick people are. Surely it's a common sense that prey domestic animals cannot survive in the park. The rabbit was a healthy weight, clean and shiny coat. Hopefully teeth are ok. Someone obviously loved him before. Shame.
ReplyDeleteThis wasn't the first abandoned rabbit we've seen in the park. There was a fancy shaggy brown one several years ago that was having a good try at being wild, and avoided people. I think it was eventually got by a fox.
DeleteAh didn't know Ralph. And then the terrapins, right. Jenna
ReplyDeleteGlad there was a happy end to the Rabbit saga that could have ended badly. Some people are so thoughtless!. Appreciate in these cash-strapped times people are struggling to feed themselves, yet alone pets, but they could have handed it to a rescue charity if this were the case!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised Pochard have never bred in the park. I don't know about now, but in the past quite a few pairs bred in Regent's Park. Pochard is a very scarce breeding bird in the UK, but London is one of the hot spots.
There are more Pochard here in winter, and most of them leave to breed elsewhere. It's unusual to still have so many here right into the spring.
DeleteToday I found the Reed Warbler near the Italian Gardens, two young Blackcaps perched on a small tree near the Henry Moore Sculpture and a Yellow Wagtail on the island in the Round Pond. I also found my first Goldfinch in the park. I have seen many of them but none in the park.
ReplyDeleteI saw a strange looking Tufted Duck on the Round Pond which could be a Greater Scaup but that is very unlikely.
Theodore
Excellent to see a Yellow Wagtail. They're very rare in the park and I've only ever seen one.
DeleteSurprised that you don't see Goldfinches more often. They're not numerous in the park but I hear them every few days and sometimes they're visible too.
Could your duck have been a Pochard x Tufted hybrid? They're quite common.
Not sure about the duck. I have no idea what it could have been but I think it may just be a strange Tufted Duck. The Yellow Wagtail was quite tame and I got some nice pictures but it kept running around trying to catch some midges.
DeleteI have been trying to see some more insects recently especially Dragonflies and Butterflies.
Pochard x Tufted crosses can look very Scaup-like. I often get false reports of a Scaup (either size) that turns out to be one of them. For dragonflies, the Italian Garden is the best place. For butterflies, the Rose Garden.
DeleteThanks
DeleteWell done on Ralph and Jenna!. Poor little creature, so scared and helpless. Who could be so heartless to harm or consent to dogs harming such a harmless, weak little thing? Thank God that you were there to stage an intervention.
ReplyDeleteTinúviel
I've been following the rabbit's progress on WhatsApp, and it's in good condition -- and female. Several people want to give her a permanent home.
DeleteWell done Ralph, so glad you got there last in time to avoid injury
ReplyDelete