There were two Peregrines on the tower, both adults. The one on the right seems to be the male who lost his mate, with his dark colouring and hardly any white on the side of his head. And on the left, it looks as if he has already found a new mate to share the abundant pigeons in his territory.
One of the young Grey Herons on the island had come right down from the nest, this first time I've seen one of this brood at ground level. There were no birds in the nest or in the nearby branches, so evidently they've all come down.
An adult flew into an old Magpie nest at the Triangle.
The Little Owl at the Round Pond looked down from the top of the horse chestnut tree.
I was wrong about all the Little Grebes having gone from the pond. There was one hanging around a buoy.
But it was the only one I could see. You'd expect the four to fly in and out together, so the others were probably around somewhere lurking behind buoys and water intake pipes. They are easy to miss, as they spend more time submerged than on the surface.
One of the Great Crested Grebe chicks from the Long Water was under the bridge.
It came out on the far side to pester its father. It's beginning to follow him under water, which is essential for learning fishing skills.
This young Herring Gull is quite grown up enough to find its on food but was still begging at its parent, causing visible irritation.
The odd-coloured Lesser Black-Back was again lording it over the Dell restaurant. Pigeon Eater was still away. There will probably be a serious dispute when he comes back.
Common Gulls arrive first on the Round Pond, then later on the main lake. There were two on the buoys at the Lido, the first I've seen here this autumn.
The Robin in the Flower Walk who seems to be the dominant Robin's mate is now behaving just like him, attacking all the Great Tits in the nearby bushes.
There was a new Robin at the end of the upper level of the bridge. It came out to take a pine nut from the parapet.
A pair of Pochards looked at each other on a fallen tree in the Long Water. There are only a few females among the many drakes.
One of the foxes appeared for a moment into the Dell, slinking into the bushes.
The sunshine lit the carp in the Italian Garden.
It was quite warm and I saw seven Migrant Hawker dragonflies making the most of the day. One perched on a bramble near Peter Pan.
There were also two Willow Emerald damselflies. This one was on the Peter Pan railings.
I've seen this cyclist in the park before. Every time he appears there are more ornaments on his bike. It must be quite hard to ride.
Robins are such ferocious little creatures. To think they tackle the undisputed champions of Meanness themselves, Great Tits.
ReplyDeletePoor baby, he looks so adorably confused when his father dived for fish the first time.
Tinúviel
The Great Tits do sometimes fight back and knock the Robin off my hand. But for mad determination to attack everything in sight nothing beats a Robin.
DeleteIt was a beautiful day yesterday!
ReplyDeleteGood to see the widowed Peregrine has a new mate.
Good weather for insects.I counted 22 Willow Emeralds at Kew Gardens, though the true number present was likely far higher. Smaller numbers of both Migrant Hawker & Common Darter.
Most numerous butterfly was Speckled Wood.
Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed about the Peregrine's romance. One sighting doesn't prove all that much. Curiously, yesterday's sightings of Migrant Hawkers were the most I've ever seen at any time of year. Haven't seen a Common Darter for some weeks here but they are never numerous. Did see just one Speckled Wood and one uncertain White in flight.
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