I was filming this young Great Tit in the Rose Garden eating a seed I had given it when three more, impatient to be fed, landed on the camera -- you can hear this at 8 seconds in -- on my left hand and on my head, and started shouting at me.
A Blue Tit in the corkscrew hazel in the Flower Walk was also staring expectantly.
Other customers here were a Jay in the shade of a tree ...
... and a young Robin.
The Robin at the top of the steps by the bridge is farther into getting its red breast.
The Chiffchaffs at the Henry Moore sculpture were calling to each other again. One pair nested in a bush here last year, but I haven't seen any young ones here this year.
It was a chilly day with wind and occasional showers, so it was a slight surprise to find the male Little Owl at the Round Pond out in the horse chestnut tree. He was fluffed up to keep warm.
The young Grey Heron was at the Triangle and clearly expected to be fed. I hope this means that other people are giving him a titbit from time to time -- and also that he doesn't get too trusting.
There was a lot of squawking at the island, which turned out to be the Grey Herons in the latest nest having a faceoff with a heron in the upper nest, one of the parents of the young heron in the previous picture.
One of them flew up to chase it off, and both the chicks appeared over the edge of the nest. They've grown quite a lot since last seen.
A Moorhen with a half-grown chick to protect chased away a Carrion Crow, looked to see if the people on the bench would feed it, and returned to the edge of the lake.
The male Egyptian Goose at the Henry Moore sculpture was alone again, so evidently his mate is nesting for the third time this year. Poor creature, she must be exhausted.
On the Serpentine, the four older goslings ...
... and the four younger ones were huddled up against the wind.
Cumulus clouds were echoed in the Mute Swan cruising around looking for another swan to bully.
A female Mallard preened on the edge. The beautiful markings of female ducks are taken for granted when the drakes are so much showier.
A pair of Gadwalls passed under the bridge -- one of the minority of ducks where the drakes are quite restrained.
Convolvulus flowers at the back of the Lido attracted Buff-Tailed Bumblebees.
Hi Ralph, yes, herons can become VERY trusting, not a good thing for ANY wild creature...I have added a few comments (at the end of yesterday's) to my recent comment on the stork.......great to see the Egyptian goslings all doing well..regards,stephen..
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if these eight little Egyptians will get through now. But any hatched on the Long Water will be promptly massacred by the killer swan.
DeleteThanks to you, I've bagged the last copy, as you said ....("Birds of London").£11:99 as you said.......regards,Stephen..
ReplyDeleteWell done. It was a real bargain.
Delete“Showier” new one for me
ReplyDeleteI laughed. I shouldn't have, but the Great Tits performing a raid on you and then shouting at you to produce the goods already is just darn funny!
ReplyDeleteAs funny as "Cumulus clouds were echoed in the Mute Swan cruising around looking for another swan to bully" is. As fine an aprosdoketon as was ever produced, and it alliterates, too.
Tinúviel
People often think that when a swan is cruising in that attitude it's just being beautiful and picturesque. I've seen china flower pot holders in that shape, so that the threatening bird is topped with a begonia.
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