A Wren hung upside down from an alder twig ...
... reached up ...
... and pulled something down ...
... a green caterpillar with a horn. It looks like the caterpillar of some hawk moth species, but seems too small so I don't know what it is.
I got a reasonable picture of the male Little Owl at the Round Pond and was going away ...
... when I heard a flurry behind me, and there was one of the owlets begging him for food.
The male owl didn't want to be bothered by his youngster and flew off. The owlet soothed its hurt feelings by preening.
A fine picture by Mark Williams taken in Bushy Park: a young Jackdaw begging at an impassive parent. Oddly I've never seen a juvenile Jackdaw in our park, although they breed here.
%202023%201a.jpg)
Elderberries grow on twigs too thin to support a heavy Wood Pigeon, and it had difficulty reaching even a few.
A Cormorant enjoyed a splashy wash at the Serpentine island.
Two Great Crested Grebe chicks looked out from their parent's back on the nest opposite Peter Pan.
They were being fed with tiny fish.
The grebes that were nesting at the Diana fountain but lost their nest were displaying. It's not too late for them to nest again, but they really need to find a better spot.
The dominant Mute Swans invading the Long Water from the Serpentine parked their five cygnets on the gravel strip. One was too far away to include in the picture.
The resident female was safely out of the way on the nesting island with her two cygnets and an unwelcome Grey Heron.
The male was down the lake at Peter Pan but showed no sign of challenging the intruders. More than once in the past a single pair of swans has dominated the whole lake. It might happen again.
Cardoon flowers in the Rose Garden attracted a lot of bees. There was a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee, a probable Vestal Cuckoo Bee and two Honeybees on this one.
The tree people were trying to eradicate Oak Processionary Moth on the clump of oaks next to the Queen's Temple. The toxic caterpillars have already pupated, but there might be a few left so protective clothing is in order.
A dead tree near the Serpentine Gallery has had a succession of largish mushrooms on the top. Before this it had Oyster Mushrooms on the side of the trunk, and these may adopt a more conventional shape when they don't have to grow sideways.
That youngster is grown up enough to find its own food. I agree with its father's sentiment.
ReplyDeleteYay, clear glimpse of stripy heads today!
My, but Wrens can be ferocious little killing machines.
Tinúviel
Little Owls hunt on the ground in family groups, so I suppose the young ones gradually pick up the knack of finding worms and beetles and the other items in their lowly diet. I do wonder how the owl at the Speke obelisk got that rat it was photographed with in the spring. I think it must have been dead already. Even the bigger Tawnies only get the occasional very small rat, as we know from the British Mammal Society's survey of the bone fragments in their pellets.
DeleteI think birds will try to eat anything that is smaller than them! A rat qualifies size-wise, but you're right that a live rat is a very dangerous thing, even for cats.
DeleteTinúviel
The unconditional love of Great Crested Grebes is something remarkable. Am I right in saying that they mate for life? or just for one breeding season.. I have read various different books that say both!
ReplyDeleteFingers cross they will get a suitable nest in the near future.
Sean
Those pairs that I have known personally have stayed together for life.
DeleteLovely to see the acrobatic Wren.
ReplyDeleteI think the bumblebee in the centre of the Cardoon is a cuckoo-probably B. vestalis from the tail pattern. It's also less furry showing the shininess of the black cuticle, a feature typical of the cuckoos. The Cardoons are certainly popular with bees.
Thanks, will correct the text.
DeleteSo impressed with your little owls. Was sad that I'm not a good enough birder to be able to find them alone - didn't see them at all on my last trip to the park
ReplyDeletePlease write to me at the email address on the blog for help with finding the owls.
DeleteThanks Ralph, that's so kind of you
ReplyDelete