A strong wind grew stronger as the day went on, and by 3.30 people were staggering about trying not to be blown over. Shreds of cloud raced past the Albert Memorial in the fading light.
A Blue Tit ...
... and a Great Tit kept a firm grip with their strong little feet on a dogwood bush at Mount Gate.
A Jay perched on a branch above a mahonia bush.
Two Jackdaws searched for worms and insects among newly planted rose bushes in the Rose Garden.
The female Peregrine was on the tower, mostly staying at the back of the ledge out of the wind. This is a terrible picture, as the light was very dim.
The Lesser Black-Backed Gull pair on the Long Water are now usually seen on the raft.
The Grey Heron nesting on the island was presumably well down in the nest as the tree tossed in the wind, but all the other herons were staying well down. This one was on a post at the Vista ...
... and another was farther up the long Water on a branch of the fallen horse chestnut.
Two young Cormorants stood on another branch.
The female of the Great Crested Grebe pair that nested near the bridge was still looking elegant in her plain black and white winter plumage.
The dark male, which I think is one of the pair from the west end of the island, cruised under the bridge, causing a dispute with the resident pair.
A young grebe was peacefully fishing near the Italian Garden.
The Moorhen pair in the Dell stood on the edge of the stream.
The two young Mute Swans that flew on to the Serpentine were at the Dell restaurant hoping to be fed, but there weren't many visitors now that the Winter Wasteland is closed.
On Sunday I put up a picture of a squirrel sharpening its teeth on a piece of wood. Here is an aluminium sign which they have used for the same purpose, gouging out bits of metal.
Our alert readers will know that Metasequoia glyptostroboides is not a Water Fir, it's a Dawn Redwood.
A beautiful freestanding Oyster Mushroom on a fallen tree near the Henry Moore sculpture ...
... made Zaha Hadid's attempt at an organic form just up the hill look clumsy. I did try to photograph the building from its best angle.
It appears Water Fir is an alternative name for Dawn Redwood, although confusingly there is also Chinese Water Fir, one of the names for Glyptostrobus pensilis, though that is not only native to China, unlike the former.
ReplyDeleteDo things like Oyster Mushroom within easy reach get poached much in the park? Jim
Earlier I was reproved for calling it a Water Fir. You can't please everyone. Dawn Redwood sounds to me more like a woman than a tree.
DeleteI know one person who collects and eats the Oyster Mushrooms in the park. No name, no pack drill. I know you aren't supposed to, but it's a very common species and I regard that as blameless.