A Chiffchaff sang in a treetop near the Speke obelisk, interrupted by the usual noisy Rose-Ringed Parakeets and a Carrion Crow.
Near the Henry Moore sculpture, a female Chiffchaff listened to her mate singing.
A Wren sang at the top of its voice at Peter Pan.
This Wren carrying insects for its chicks was protesting loudly at a predator I couldn't see. Another bird was making the high-pitched 'seep' call shared by many songbirds to warn of danger overhead.
The young Grey Wagtail in the Dell was back on the rock where I saw it on Monday.
The male Little Owl at the Round Pond was on a branch of the dead tree where his mate is nesting. He is so perfectly camouflaged that you have to know there is an owl here before you can see him.
The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull, in his usual spot by the Dell restaurant, had eaten enough of his latest victim and carefully washed the blood off his face. He is very particular about his appearance.
The Coots in the Italian Gardens fountain fed their seven chicks among the algae.
Yesterday Duncan Campbell found a second family with four chicks in another pool. This is his picture of one of them being fed. I saw one today but the others were hidden in the irises.
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It was a busy scene on the Coot nest at the bridge, with the five chicks preening and a parent gathering algae.
One of the smaller chicks washed, shook itself dry, and preened.
Mark told me that he had seen one of the two surviving cygnets on the Long Water dragged under, though it luckily escaped unhurt and both were on the nesting island today. This must have been an attack by a pike, and also explains what happened to the two cygnets that vanished. Some of the pike on the Long Water are 4ft (1.2m) in length.
I hadn't seen the six cygnets on the Serpentine for a few days, but they were in good order near the boathouses.
An Egyptian Goose near the Triangle car park tended six goslings.
A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee was going over the scanty clover flowers on the edge of the Italian Garden.
An Emperor dragonfly hunted over the pools.
Another picture from Duncan in the Italian Garden: mating Red-Eyed Damselflies were buzzed by a jealous male.
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Lucky that the baby coots are still intact we had yet another thoughtless dog owner in the Italian Gardens yesterday who let her mutt jump in the fountain and pursue the birds. Was tempted to launch the dog into the Long Water, but decided against it
ReplyDeleteI just don't know what it is about owning a dog that turns otherwise reasonable people into pure poison. But then the desire to 'own' an animal seems crazy to me.
DeleteMore appropriate to launch the owner perhaps?
DeleteWith hindsight , yes!
DeleteI hope they will be fished to annihilation by a squadron of Herons.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved so much the cheery, simple, bright three-note song of Chiffchaffs.
Tinúviel
Sadly it would need a Killer Whale to deal with those huge pike. I did once see -- and photograph -- a Cormorant dealing with a medium-sized one, but the giant fish at the north end of the Long Water are beyong the reach of any available predator.
DeleteI took a picture of one too with flash below the water near the Italian Gardens.
DeleteTheodore
Ugh. Like our 2-metre pikes, then. Beyond anything but the staunchest fisherman armed with the strongest fishing line.
DeleteTinúviel
They haven't reached 2 metres yet, but they will. Bad news for the Serpentine Swimming Club when they do.
DeleteI could tell you horror stories about the monsters lurking in the waters of the Orellana reservoir, both pike and catfish. Divers usually need to be put in security cages.
DeleteTinúviel
Aargh.
DeleteReally? Security cages!
DeleteThe Serpentine Swimming Club will probably have to deal with the pike and so will the park if they get that big and they start attacking larger birds, dogs and maybe even a Swimming Club member or too.
I hope not to get eaten!
I know one of the park fishermen and will ask him about the chance of one of the big pike being near the Lido. So far they have only been seen at the north end of the Long Water. Actually I think a 4ft pike would stay well clear of human swimmers thrashing about.
DeleteLove the vanity of the LBBG. Those pike sound like something out of a horror movie. Maybe we should start spreading rumours about dogs being attacked by pike?
ReplyDeletePikenado!
DeleteI do not know how you manage to photograph those Emperor Dragonflies! I find it absolutely impossible. I tried all afternoon on Sunday and I only got a fleeting picture of the back.
ReplyDeleteTheodore
By the way, do the Emperor Dragonflies ever land?
ReplyDeleteYou need sunshine, a shutter speed of 1/2500 second, one f stop down to darken the picture, 200mm zoom -- more makes it impossible -- manual focus on a likely distance, and taking lots and lots of pictures in the hope that in one of them the dragonfly actually is at that distance. They do land though not often. And you can catch females laying eggs at your leisure.
Delete