No surprises today, but at least the day was graced by the Little Owl at the Round Pond keeping watch from the horse chestnut tree.
Young Starlings bustled around in the grass at the Diana fountain, searching for insects but also calling plaintively to their parents to feed them. The parents didn't: the young ones can find enough themselves by now.
A Great Tit fledgling at the northwest corner of the bridge came out to collect a pine nut. All the young ones are coming to my hand now, but that doesn't stop them from chasing their parents to beg for more.
One of the pair of Blue Tits at Mount Gate was also waiting.
Long-Tailed Tits were bouncing around in the trees east of the Lido.
Two Song Thrushes were still singing sporadically beside the Long Water, one near the bridge and this one near Peter Pan.
The usual Jay in the Flower Walk was expecting a peanut.
So was this Magpie, perched on the ornamental crown on a gas lamp post at the Triangle. The lamps have a pilot flame, so this is a warm place on a cold day.
A Carrion Crow landed on the Mute Swans' nesting island in the Long Water, just to annoy them.
Pigeon Eater strode ashore by the Dell restaurant and a Feral Pigeon hastily got out of his reach.
%20coming%20ashore%202024%201a.jpg)
The single Great Crested Grebe chick on the Long Water has started diving after its parents, the first stage in learning to fish.
A look around the south shore of the Serpentine, where hundreds of Greylag and Canada Geese have arrived to moult their flight feathers.
One of the Greylags was chewing a plane leaf, probably too tough to eat but it's a pastime like chewing gum.
Two Red-Crested Pochard drakes are still in full breeding plumage and looking very smart with their ginger bouffant hairdos.
The Tufted Ducks are still in breeding plumage ...
.. but the Mandarins, Gadwalls and Mallards are going into eclipse. A pair of Mallards were surprised by an unexpected egg.
A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee worker collecting pollen in the Rose Garden shooed away another that wanted to take her place.
Poor little Bumblebee, she looked so happy, only for a mean girl to come crimp her style.
ReplyDeleteAre the blackbirds singing still? Ours will half-heartedly whistle out a couple of notes and call it a day, in between trying to give their fluttering, begging grown offspring the slip.
Tinúviel
Bumblebees really enjoy rugosa roses. It seems odd to think of an insect having fun, but they certainly do.
DeleteThere was still one Blackbird singing with reasonable enthusiasm today, but most have stopped.