The park was crowded with a half marathon race going on. Starlings waited expectantly on the roof of the busy Lido restaurant.
Others were washing on the edge of the Serpentine.
A Grey Wagtail hunted insects among fallen leaves on the edge of the restaurant terrace.
A Robin in the Rose Garden can be persuaded to take pine nuts on the ground, but remains nervous ...
... while the new one on the north side of the Flower Walk arrived, apparently never having seen me before, and plonked itself down on my hand as if it had known me all its life.
The Coal Tit at Mount Gate was also confident very early. Birds of the same species really do have very different personalities.
A flock of Long-Tailed Tits passed through the trees on the other side of the path.
A Jay waited for a peanut.
The Little Owl at the Round Pond was in a very difficult part of the tree, dozing peacefully and not interested in events on the ground.
Two Grey Herons were having a confrontation on the Long Water.
One chased its rival around the lake. But it was the rival that caught a fish at the end.
A young heron was fishing beside the boathouse. The building is supported by piles with reinforced concrete beams resting on them, and these beams extend only just below the water line, so there are gaps underneath. The heron was waiting for a careless fish to stick its head out of the gap.
The Czech Black-Headed Gull was patrolling its territory on the south shore of the Serpentine. Like the other dominant gull on the landing stage, it's getting its dark head early. This may be a sign of power in the hierarchy.
The two Great Crested Grebe chicks on the Long Water chased their father noisily across the lake.
The solitary Moorhen in the Dell wandered over the lawn. Its companions have all been eaten by the foxes.
The two Egyptians in the Italian Garden were completely undisturbed by the crowds shouting as the runners staggered by. They've seen it all before.
I still cling to my hypothesis that there *is* a Robin grapevine. How else can we explain the behaviour of the rookie bird?
ReplyDeleteI also wonder if Starlings are able to read the papers. They seem to be very au courant with mass gatherings in the park, so they can stage their raids more efficiently.
Tinúviel
The Flower Walk has as many Robins as it can hold, and each one can see the next. I think they simply copy each other. With Great Tits, the more timid ones visibly wait for the bolder ones to come down successfully before they will venture out.
DeleteApparently it has been shown that Starling flocks don't have leaders. But there must be a way in which one Starling can act as a scout and summon the others.