There was rain and drizzle for several hours. A Robin in the Rose Garden sheltered under a baby sage bush.
Another thought that if it was going to get wet it might as well do it properly, and bathed in a puddle. It alternately splashed and shook itself dry, a method of washing that I've also seen in Carrion Crows and Magpies.
After the rain stopped, the Robin in the yew hedge in the Flower Walk climbed to the top and surveyed its territory with a lordly air.
A few people were on the Dell restaurant terrace sheltering under umbrellas, enough to attract some Starlings.
A Wood Pigeon lurched around in a rose bush trying to find some rose hips within reach.
I reached the Little Owl at the Round Pond before the rain started. She was on one of her usual perches in the horse chestnut tree, with the usual annoying leaf in the way.
A Carrion Crow perched on the Big Bird statue by the Diana fountain. This is part of the territory of the bossy Black-Headed Gull, but he happened to be away at the time so there was no conflict.
A pair of Black-Headed Gulls paraded side by side at the Triangle.
Pigeon Eater, in his usual place at the Dell restaurant, stood on the edge looking aggrieved. He had been driven off his latest kill by a couple photographing their little daughters, unaware that each shot featured the bloody and mangled corpse of a Feral Pigeon.
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A Common Gull looked at an orange plastic buoy at the Lido. Bright colours are always interesting.
The young Grey Herons usually retire to their nest when it rains.
A pair of Moorhens at the Vista were looking for small edible things in the grass, at this time of year mostly grubs such as wireworms which are the larvae of click beetles.
Another was going through some floating leaves at the edge.
A Gadwall drake upended in the shallows to pull up strands of algae and any small water creatures that might be clinging to them.
At the far side of the Vista a pair of Shovellers rested on the gravel.
The Black Swan flew across the Round Pond, passing the spray of the water inlet.
An Scarlet Oak (or maybe a Pin Oak) had a fine display of bright leaves.
Lovely photo of the two parading Black-headed Gulls- they look so handsome.
ReplyDeleteGlorious autumn display at the bottom, but not a Red Oak which has larger, less dissected leaves & despite its name rarely goes red in this country but a disappointing yellowish brown most of the time. This is either a Scarlet or Pin Oak.
Thank you. I'm sadly ignorant about trees.
DeleteMy God, that video of the bathing Robin is the sweetest thing I've seen all week. To think that such a delightful little creature should also be such a tyrannical ball of fury.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the gull is looking for ways to make the buoy roll. Considering how they are about rolling things, it must be resisting the temptation to give it a go manfully. Er, gullfully.
The larger gulls, which are too heavy to balance on the small white buoys and which therefore make them tip over, enjoy running up the line, jumping off each buoy as it starts to roll. I've filmed this in the past and indeed will film it again if I see one doing it.
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