A family of Coal Tits bustled around in the Chinese Water Fir beside the Serpentine outflow. Here are two of the young ones.
The dead tree near the southwest corner of the bridge was also busy with a young Blue Tit ...
... and two young Great Tits.
Long-Tailed Tits were working through the next tree. This is a fledgling.
A young Blackbird landed in a tree on the other side of the Long Water.
The young Carrion Crow at the Italian Garden is growing up and its blue-grey eyes are changing to dark brown.
It was too windy for the Little Owls at the Round Pond to be out, but there was a view of an owlet by the more sheltered Serpentine Gallery.
Mark Williams got a fine shot of a Robin in St James's Park carrying an insect for its fledglings.
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Feral Pigeons find Green Alkanet delicious. This is the third time I've seen one eating the leaves.
A Magpie was not concerned with the memory of Rudolf Steiner. It wanted a peanut.
The male Peregrine was by himself on the tower, hunkered down against the wind.
A Grey Heron preened on a dead tree to the song of a Wren and a Blackcap.
Black-Headed Gulls have returned in force, and there were 18 on the posts at Peter Pan, along with a heron.
The younger brood of Coots in the Italian Garden have managed to cross to the northeast pool, jumping up two foot-high kerbs on their way.
But that's nothing to this trek. Jon Ferguson tells me that the Mute Swan with one cygnet on the Round Pond is the one that nested in the reed bed below the Diana fountain, ring number 4DVP. They must have left to escape bullying by the dominant Serpentine pair with six cygnets, making a journey of almost a mile overland through hostile terrain full of foxes.
I thought we'd lost the single Mandarin duckling, but this morning it was back with its mother in their usual place beside the Serpentine. It's quite fearless, and at 0:04 you see it shooing an adult Mallard.
The four Mallard ducklings are now strapping teenagers and will be able to fly soon. The fourth was a bit farther along the shore.
It wasn't a good day for insects, but there was a sight of a Honeybee on a Meadow Cranesbill flower.
With regard to the juvenile robins at St James Park, one seems to be a fair bit older than the other, to judge from the respective amounts of red in their plumage. One has learned to associate humans with food, and spends a lot of time perched on the railings in hope of a handout 😀
ReplyDeletePs was lucky enough to see the mandarin duckling today, sound asleep with its mother at the waters edge: definitely an *awww* moment!
ReplyDeleteI was sure that duckling was a goner. But Mandarins spend a lot of time lurking in the bushes, far more then other ducks.
DeleteThat is an army of Black-Headed Gulls! It’s like they know their roles.
ReplyDeleteSean
A real avian kindergarten! Good to see so many healthy youngsters.
ReplyDeleteWalking in my local country parks yesterday morning I noticed ten returned Black-headed Gulls. There's a thriving colony in Richmond Park with many chicks at the moment. The BTO reckon about 4% of our breeding population has succumbed to the dreaded bird flu this year.
Surprising the Feral Pigeons enjoy the Green Alkanet leaves- it's a horribly bristly plant to handle.
It seems to be only Feral Pigeons that like Green Alkanet. I see Wood Pigeons eating all kinds of plants, but never that.
DeleteLove the duckling with attitude, am amazed that the mallard reacted. Let's hope it lives to grow up. Sadly I've seen evidence of bird flu amongst gulls and terns down in Essex.
ReplyDeleteThe Mandarin mother constantly attacks pigeons. I suppose the duckling is copying her.
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