A mother Mandarin and four ducklings just down from their nest in a tree raced to the relative safety of the Round Pond. On the way they met a Magpie, but fortunately managed to avoid it. The ducklings had never seen water before, but their instincts told them what to do and they quickly swam away.
The Coots that nested on the post at Peter Pan have decided to have another go.
Their one surviving chick looked on disapprovingly. It will no more be a pampered only child. But it's quite old enough to feed itself.
A Great Crested Grebe turned sideways to preen its shining white underside.
The old Grey Heron from the Henry Moore sculpture was on Buck Hill, looking for mice in the long grass and ragwort.
Its young rival quickly occupied the lawn. The old heron can still chase it off.
The marble fountain in the Italian Garden gets thickly encrusted with algae. A Carrion Crow was tearing the mass up, looking for insects in it.
A young Blackbird in the shrubbery around the Rose Garden probed a clod of earth, also hoping for insects.
A Wren stood tall in the brambles by the leaf yard.
The male Little Owl at the Round Pond was in the rear entrance to the dead tree keeping watch on one of the owlets, which was calling from a horse chestnut. I couldn't find it among the leaves.
The owlet at the Serpentine Gallery was showing well in the nest tree.
Rose-Ringed Parakeets beside the Long Water clustered in the trees waiting to be fed by visitors. They were next to the notice telling people not to feed the parakeets or squirrels here.
A squirrel was also being fed. As more and more notices are being put up in the park, people are paying less and less heed to them. Everyone knows that notices are a substitute for action.
Flying ants are emerging, and Duncan Campbell took these pictures yesterday. They are young queens on their way to start a new nest, and a mass of males hoping to mate with them. The queens are larger than the males.
%202023%201a.jpg)
There's a belief that all the ants fly on one day in the year. In fact different colonies take to the air on different days over a few weeks.
%202023%202a.jpg)
A Brimstone butterfly was well camouflaged on a leaf.
A clover flower bent down under the weight of a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee.
A remarkable picture by Duncan of three bees together on the same thistle: a Tree Bumblebee, probably a Vestal Cuckoo Bee, and a Common Carder.
%202023%201a.jpg)
I was walking on the street a couple of days ago and there were flying ants all over the pavement!
ReplyDeleteTheodore
The first ones came out about ten days ago. They choose a warm, windless day preferably after rain.
Delete> There's a belief that all the ants fly on one day in the year. In fact different colonies take to the air on different days over a few weeks.
DeleteIt does feel like that. I just saw a lot of flying ants in Brixton yesterday, and now those photos of ants in the park from Duncan.
Yes, because it seems to be weather conditions that set them flying, and these are pretty much the same all over London, so colonies in different places may start on the same day.
DeleteIt used to be said when I was a child that if you saw them all flying out there'd be rain. Don't know if there is a kernel of truth in that.
DeleteTinúviel
The race for survival of the little Mandarin ducklings to the water was an intense, but hopeful watch.
ReplyDeleteSean
A warm, windless day? Am amazed they found one this year! :O
ReplyDeleteWell, at least not hailing and blowing a gale. Today was reasonable.
DeleteCome on, little ducklings, get to the water safely! I was almost sitting at the edge of my seat watching.
ReplyDeleteWas the magpie a real threat? It clearlly had nefarious intentions, but I want to believe the mother Mandarin would have fight it.
Tinúviel
You see the mother Mandarin instantly threaten the Magpie, and the Magpie settles for watching for any stragglers. The ducks of course usually lay far more than four eggs though. Jim
DeleteYes, we don't know where the journey started and there may have been losses on the way.
Delete