A Carrion Crow bathed in the Serpentine. They like to wash in short snatches, shaking off the water in between, before they flap soggily off to a branch to preen and dry properly.
A Jackdaw on the shore was looking expectant.
The Little Owl at the Round Pond was kept in her hole by morning rain but came out on the horse chestnut in the afternoon.
The male Chaffinch in the Rose Garden was rootling in the fallen leaves. Hecame out for a pine nut.
A Common Gull perched on the buoys at the Lido.
A Cormorant at the island jumped on to a post.
That filled all the posts except one, which had a young Grey Heron on it. Another Cormorant chased it off.
The heron landed on the shore, looking annoyed.
The Moorhen at the Vista was relieved to find that the visiting heron had gone, and reclaimed its place on the bush.
The female Great Crested Grebe on the Long Water was fishing in the turbulence under the waterspouts on the edge of the Italian Garden. She caught several fish ...
... and brought some of them to a waiting chick.
The Little Grebe on the Round Pond lurked by a plastic buoy.
A female Common Pochard dived busily at the bridge. They are omnivorous, eating water plants, invertebrates and small fish, and this place is a hatchery for perch.
Two female Tufted Ducks preening on the shore were rudely interrupted by a Canada Goose.
Joan Chatterley found twenty Mandarins in Battersea Park, with the drakes already in their fantastic breeding plumage. We don't have any at the moment.
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It was quite chilly, but a few hardy Buff-Tailed Bumblebees were out on the oxeye daisies in the Rose Garden.
There was a Horse Mushroom on the edge of the shrubbery.
A blocked drain on the Parade Ground called down the Wrath of Poseidon.
The drain clearing company Hydro Cleansing has several splendidly painted lorries two of which have classical themes. The other features the Hydra, but I've only seen this from a distance and never got a proper picture.
I wonder why choose Poseidon and the Hydra. They do have to do with water sources, true, but maybe if unclogging and drain clearing is the matter maybe they ought to adopt Heracles as its tutelar deity.
ReplyDeleteI do suspect the Little Grebe's fondness for that buoy is on account that he knows he looks extremely pretty against it.
Tinúviel
Yes, Heracles would be a good choice. If I see them again I'll mention it to them. The man I talked to was very receptive.
DeleteI think the Little Grebe hangs around the buoy simply because they like to lurk under things and that's the only overhanging object on the very open and featureless pond. It does guard them against swooping gulls.