One of the Long-Tailed Tits building a nest by the bridge ...
... took a moment off work to have a preen.
There's another pair nesting in the bushes at Mount Gate ...
... where one of the Coal Tits was waiting for a pine nut.
A Blue Tit posed prettily in the Rose Garden ...
... and a male Chaffinch perched in a tree at the edge.
A Robin sang softly to itself on a bush in the Flower Walk.
A young Herring Gull fished a decayed conker out of the Serpentine and happily rolled it about.
The Czech Black-Headed Gull is getting its dark head and will be off soon, going to a lake at Hobšovice, a few miles northwest of Prague.
You get a clearer view of the two young Grey Herons from the far side of the lake, but they're a long way off even with a 1200mm zoom.
The heron that perches on a handrail at the bridge is completely unflappable. You have to pass within inches of it to get up the steps, but it doesn't budge. It was watching two people having a picnic on a bench, hoping for a share of their sandwiches.
The Black Swan and his girlfriend watched a passing Coot near the Dell restaurant.
A Mute Swan, ring Orange 2FUK, was building a nest on the edge of the Lido restaurant terrace. This site has been used before but no nest there has ever succeeded.
The Egyptian Geese on the Serpentine are down to their last gosling ...
... but another pair have eight new ones. These were taken across the road by their parents to browse on the grass, but the kerb of the horse track was too high for all but one of them. There are places where there is less of a jump, as you can see in the previous picture, so they won't starve.
A pair of Gadwalls cropped algae near the Lido.
One of the plum trees at the Triangle was in full blossom and being visited by a good number of Honeybees. The hives are in the Ranger's Lodge garden. This tree bears good edible red plums but they are always quickly picked so you only see the unreachable ones at the top of the tree.
Hi Ralph, great to see that there are plenty of Egyptian goslings...let's hope at least SOME of them escape the clutches of other birds !!...regards,Stephen....
ReplyDeleteThey always get a few through, just enough to keep the population slowly increasing. It's nature's way, though sad to watch.
DeleteThere are certainly fewer predators here than in their native Africa. Crocs and water monitors alone must account for a lot of Egyptian geese in their native habitat, both adults and young.
DeleteThere's danger from below here too, with pike and terrapins.
DeleteI swear, they're completely adult-sized now. It's amazing how quickly Herons grow.
ReplyDeleteWe're seeing the first swifts of the season here. It's abominably cold, unseasonably so - I'm a bit worried for them.
Tinúviel
I can hardly believe that nesting started on 22 Dec. Really think I must have overlooked several days, a week even, when the parents were sitting and I didn't see. But if so, that is some kind of record for an early start. The British Heronry Survey man was very surprised even by the 22nd.
DeleteI think it's also the fact it's really chilly in the evenings. They are only small and fluffy, but the Marble Arch goslings are receiving VIP treatment from a kind lady. The council even put up a sign for the cars on the road next to the fountain to drive slow.
ReplyDeleteJenna
Solaya. An excellent person. I had a talk with her when I was taking the pictures.
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