A rather dull day was relieved by a sight of the Little Owl at the Round Pond nestling in the yellow leaves of the horse chestnut tree. When they fall she will probably desert the tree and spend most of the day in her hole, and we shall be denied the spectacle of this lovely creature.
By the way, we're always seeing the female owl here. The male is certainly around and I've occasionally heard him calling, but male Little Owls are much more mobile than females and he may be anywhere within 100 yards.
The Blackbirds in the Rose Garden shrubbery remain very shy despite attempts to befriend them with sultanas. It's only very occasionally that you can get one of these very nervous birds to trust you.
The two Robins at Mount Gate are getting quite confident now.
This one was singing on a hawthorn near Peter Pan.
The Grey Wagtail appeared briefly on the edge of the Dell waterfall.
The barrier of spiked railings at the end of the Lido restaurant terrace is there, I suppose, to prevent people from getting into the bathing area without paying. But it's handy for Magpies wanting to bathe ...
... as it gives them a perch to dry themselves on.
The Czech Black-Headed Gull had reclaimed its usual post ...
... and the even more dominant bird who owns the landing stage at the Diana fountain was back on station, with no other gull within 50 yards. One you can identify particular gulls, you realise how strong the hierarchy is in their society.
Two Common Gulls could be seen at the Triangle.
They trickle in gradually and numbers have not yet built up to their winter maximum, usually about 50 in the whole park, most of them at the Round Pond. There are usually more than ten times as many Black-Headed Gulls here. I looked up the RSPB estimates of the numbers in Britain, and there are about three times as many Black-Headed as Common. The different ratio in the park must reflect the fact that the Common Gulls are much more 'seagulls', seen on the coast. The influx of Black-Headed and Herring Gulls into Central London is fairly recent. They seldom came upstream of the docks right to the end of the 19th century.
A young Grey Heron was looking for fish under some floating leaves, a good place as small fish lurk under any surface cover.
I wonder how young herons find out such things so quickly. Unlike, for example, Great Crested Grebes, they get no training from their parents, so it must be a combination of instinct and quick learning in order to survive the shock of independence.
A fine Shoveller drake cruised past Peter Pan ...
... and one of the Pochards came over to the Vista.
A Gadwall pair cropped algae off the edge of the Serpentine ...
... and a female Tufted Duck preened until she was scared into the water by an approaching dog.
The Red-Crested Pochards, which are occasional visitors from St James's Park, were all away, and I haven't seen a Mandarin here for some time although there are lots in Battersea Park.
Two bracket fungi on some old horse chestnuts on the slope from the Flower Walk up to the Round Pond. Later: Mario has identified this one as Smoky Bracket, Bjerkandera adusta, which we have seen before but only in a very small clump.
But I'm not at all sure about this one, not helped by damage to it. Later: Again Mario has identified it: Giant Polypore, Meriplius giganteus, but still quite small as it can grow to a width of several feet.
Lovely autumnal shot of the Little Owl-fairly well camouflaged.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience Common Gulls aren't particularly coastal, though small numbers may be encountered there. On my Thames WeBS patch the max winter count tends to be 20-30 birds. Locally they are found in much greater numbers on playing fields & other grassy areas. At one local site I've had up to 200 birds.
Black-headed Gull numbers took a big hit from avian flu. Both last year & this no breeding birds at the London Wetland Centre where there was a large colony (though Richmond Park's colony is still holding up). Numbers from WeBS were noticeably lower last season & last week had c440 birds which is low. Used to get 1500+ birds.
Thank you. When they are at the Round Pond they tend to use the lawn between the pond and the palace, but it may be too busy for their liking.
DeleteHi Ralph. My wife and I have been searching for the little owl by the Round pond today, we found her nest hole in the dead tree but can't locate in any of the nearby horse chestnut trees. We'd hugely grateful for any tips
ReplyDeleteShe may be in the top left corner of the horse chestnut to the north, though it often takes a lot of walking about to see her. If she's in the hole, stand well back from it to see her.
DeleteThank you for your kind help Ralf. We managed to find her and take some photos.
DeleteWell done. I was lucky enough to see both owls today.
DeleteI proceed to follow my usual habit of wondering what on earth does she do inside her tree hole all those months. She must be bored stiff and will surely miss you. If so, maybe she'll pop out or lean down a bit when she sees you?
ReplyDeleteIs there any difference in usage between gull and seagull?
Tinúviel
Many birds stay inactive for very long periods. They may not experience boredom as we know it, and when they yawn it may be nothing to do with boredom.
DeleteThere's really no difference in meaning between 'gull' and 'seagull' but a birdwatcher would always use 'gull', and 'seagull' is a vague popular term which is why I put it in quotation marks above.