Something I've never seen before: a pair of Mallards eating windblown foam that has built up on the edge of the lake. I don't know what this foam consists of, but I think it might be a gel produced by bacterial fermentation of organic matter floating on the water in a similar way to the Filipino nata de piña and nata de coco which are made by fermentation of pineapple and coconut waste and prepared as a dessert.
The Great Crested Grebe pair from the east end of the island performed their weed dance. They have a nest site a few feet away under a bush overhanging the water, but hidden by the wire baskets that surround the island..
A Coot looked comfortable on a well made nest in the reed bed by the Italian Garden.
The killer Mute Swan was occupying the nesting island while his mate went off to have a feed. It doesn't look as if she's laid any eggs yet.
One of the young Grey Herons had gone round to the south side of the island and could be seen from the far shore, ignoring a Moorhen.
The female Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery came out of her hole in the afternoon and flew around in the tree.
She had evidently been eating something, as a bloody morsel was hanging out of her beak.
This is the male Chaffinch that follows me round Kensington Gardens demanding pine nuts, which he catches in midair when I throw them. He was on a carpet of wood chips laid under the Little Owls' tree to retain water for its roots, and seemed to be finding insects there. His feet are in a bad state from the papillomavirus that infects Chaffinches in particular, but he isn't letting that slow him down.
A Robin sang in a blossoming tree prosaically situated on the edge of the Diana memorial car park.
A few days ago, while the Long-Tailed Tits were still building their nests, you saw them everywhere gathering material. Now sitting has begun and there are hardly any to be seen. This was the only one I found today, also at the car park. It only stayed for a moment so I didn't get a chance to move around for a clear shot.
There were plenty of Blue Tits, though. This one looked down from the tall pleached lime hedge on the edge of the Rose Garden ...
... and this one was in a dogwood bush at Mount Gate ...
... with one of the Coal Tit pair on a twig overhead.
A Chiffchaff came out of the shrubbery at Peter Pan.
A Magpie waited for a peanut in front of the flowering currant bush at the Vista.
A Wood Pigeon inspected some daffodils at the bridge but wisely avoided eating the poisonous leaves. A lot of spring flowers seem to be toxic, including snowdrops, aconites and crocuses.
A police helicopter hovering menacingly for hours made it impossible to hear any Goldcrests, but here is a fine picture by Ahmet Amerikali of one in Southwark Park.
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I have never seen the Grebe weed dance, so it is very exciting that there are some in the park! The Goldcrest picture is lovely and I am also excited to go and find the Chiffchaffs.
ReplyDeleteI finally have news about the Peregrines though. At Cromwell Road, there was one this morning but I saw one fly in in the afternoon at 16:00 and another one calling at the same time.
Theodore
Thank you. I was in the park with a view of the barracks until 16:00 and the female was still there when I lost sight of the ledge. So it's looking hopeful that there really are two pairs. The clincher would be if you could see them both on that handrail and be sure that the female did NOT have a red ring on her left leg, which ours does.
DeleteIts far too far away for me to see without a camera or binoculars. They were both there at 16:00. I also forgot to mention that there was another Peregrine Falcon flying above Buckingham Palace yesterday.
DeleteWhat a lovely video of the weed dance! Dancing grebes, singing robins, pine nut-eating little birds, Little Owls if a bit bloody around the beak - that's the stuff that makes a good life.
ReplyDeleteTinúviel
It's the best time of year if you don't mind being a bit chilly and frequently rained on.
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