November sunshine

The scarlet autumn leaves of the Japanese maple at the southeast corner of the bridge make a spectacular background, but there are seldom any birds in it. Today, however, it was visited by a flock of Long-Tailed Tits ...

... accompanied by the Great Tits of which there are always plenty at this end of the bridge.

Starlings looked for insects and worms in a weedy patch of lawn by the Diana fountain.

Another perched on the railings, looking into a clump of bog sage. Only a week ago this was full of insects, but numbers have fallen sharply as the cold weather sets in.

The Robin that lives in the yew hedge in the Flower Walk looked out of the leaves. It's the undisputed master of the hedge and seldom bothers to sing.

The Robin a short way up the path in the corkscrew hazel bush is also secure, and therefore fairly quiet.

This one on a stump near the Henry Moore sculpture has a much less clearly defined territory that it needs to defend actively, and sings loud and often.

Sunshine brought the Little Owl at the Round Pond out into the horse chestnut.

Feral Pigeons have an odd habit of sitting motionless in water for long periods. The greasy powder on their feathers leaves a trail on the surface.

Pigeon Eater was having a second helping of a victim that he had already mostly eaten. Two young Herring Gulls hung around waiting for a chance the grab a morsel.

The dominant Black-Headed Gull from the landing stage was looking out over his territory from the Big Bird statue.

The Grey Heron at the Lido restaurant had been along the terrace hoping someone would throw it a scrap. Disappointed, it went fishing by a reed bed. 

A Cormorant at Peter Pan shone in the sunlight as it dried its wings on a post.

Moored boats at the Serpentine island have been left to the numerous Cormorants, which are making an awful mess of them.

A teenage Great Crested Grebe chased its father up the Long Water.

A Moorhen enjoyed a piece of apple. All the birds that are not strictly carnivorous seem to like apples, a new taste since people started bringing them to feed the Rose-Ringed Parakeets.

The fox wasn't in its willow tree today, so here is a pleasing picture by Julia of one of them by the Dell stream.

Just an ordinary day

A cold dark Sunday didn't keep people out of the park, so there wasn't much to see. Apologies for rather a dull post.

There is a large group of Great Tits at the south end of the bridge, and they flock out to take pine nuts from my hand. Here are three pecking delicately at their treats.

Aside from the pair in the Rose Garden, there are two Robins that will take pine nuts from the ground ...

... and the familair pair of Chaffinches of which the male is getting very bold.

Seeing the feeding going on in a flower bed, a Blue Tit came over to see what it could get. They are much shyer than Great Tits and take some time watching the others before they gain confidence.

I only saw one Jay today, near the Queen's Temple. Autumn is a busy time for them, with acorns to collect and bury.

The Little Owl at the Round Pond was huddled well down in her hole.

A Grey Heron was fishing in the Dell stream.

A Lesser Black-Backed Gull and a Common Gull exchanged stares on the moored pedalos.

Of the two Lesser Black-Backs with pink legs we usually see the one with pale eyes which is Pigeon Eater's rival for the Dell restaurant territory. The other, with unusual dark eyes, was here today.

Pigeon Eater stared down disapprovingly from his place on the roof, but was too busy chasing off young Herring Gulls to deal with the intruder.

Cormorants have a habit of perching on thin branches that you think wouldn't be strong enough to support the weight of quite a heavy bird. So far I haven't been lucky enough to see one actually landing on a perch like this -- it must involve a lot of perilous sagging and swaying.

One of the young Great Crested Grebes on the Long Water was fishing by itself in the reed bed under the Italian Garden, though when it saw its dutiful father approaching it hurried out and started squeaking at him.

The two pairs on the Serpentine were resting quietly, ignoring the passing pedalos which they are absolutely used to.

There are very few Shovellers on the Serpentine, maybe only two drakes.

Most of them are on the Long Water, staying on the east side away from human disturbance. They like the shelter of the overhanging bushes along the edge.

The fox was on the willow again, but not in a place where you could get a clear view. It will be easier when the leaves fall.

Cormorant maxiumum

A Wren came out on a bramble near the Henry Moore sculpture. Although they are very common they're so furtive that they can be quite hard to see.

A Robin stared at it imperiously from the other side of the path.

A Carrion Crow had been bathing in the Serpentine, and perched on a branch to preen and shake down its feathers.

I don't know what this Wood Pigeon at the edge of the Rose Garden thought it was doing. It kept picking up a stone and trying to bite it, without result.

The Little Owl at the Round Pond was staying in her hole again. We may not see her on the horse chestnut tree again, as it's losing its leaves fast.

A young Herring Gull on the edge of the Serpentine was idly throwing a chestnut about.

The Czech Black-Headed Gull was on its usual sign. Today it was in a bad mood and yakking irritably.

The gull who owns the landing stage was also cross ...

... as there was a Grey Heron at the other end of the platform, too large and fierce to chase away.

A heron perched on some invisible object to get a good view from the reed bed on the east side of the Long Water. They like a high viewpoint, and their reach and balance is so good that they can grab a fish when standing almost two feet above the water.

We seem to be at the annual Cormorant maximum, with birds on every available perch. A heron presided over the grim crew.

A young Great Crested Grebe preened under the Italian Garden fountains.

The other was chasing its father, still begging although they are starting to fish for themselves. It looks bigger than him, not uncommon in young birds as they retain a bit of juvenile fluffiness.

A Moorhen rummaged through dead leaves at the Lido.

The fox at the east end of the Serpentine seems to be spending most of its days dozing in the willow tree. You can only get a good view when it wakes up and looks around.

A final attempt to find the elusive Purple Jellydisc fungus failed. Going carefully all over the fallen tree trunk, I did find a fresh growth of Turkey Tail fungus, Trametes versicolor.

Shaggy Parasol mushrooms grow in several places near the Round Pond, but this isn't one. It's too brown, the stem is too thick, and it doesn't have a ring. As too often, I can't identify it.

Nobody likes November

It was a cold dark day, but at least there was a bit of autumn colour at the Diana fountain. You can see the dominant Black-Headed Gull guarding his landing stage -- there wasn't another gull anywhere near as he chases them all off.

When I got round to the other side he was still at his post.

The light was so bad that the automatic streetlights came on before 3.30 pm.

A flock of Long-Tailed Tits milled around in a tree by the bridge. I couldn't get a clear view of them, but I did get a Goldcrest that was accompanying the flock.

The female of the pair of Great Tits in the Rose Garden shrubbery has been hesitant about coming to my hand, unlike her bold mate, but she is gradually gaining confidence.

On a table at the Lido restaurant a pot of yoghurt and granola abandoned by its buyer was a big hit with the local Starlings.

There was a crowd of them on the other side of the lake chattering as they waited to raid the Dell restaurant.

The Little Owl at the Round Pond was staying indoors, and no wonder.

Cormorants sprawled inelegantly on the posts at the island.

One of the young Great Crested Grebes on the Long Water was fishing by itself under the Italian Garden.

Someone had thrown a whole apple into the lake for the Greylag Geese. They weren't making much impression on it with their blunt bills, so I fished it out and cut it up for them, and then it was a success.

The Black Swan on the Round Pond has a fan club.

The fox was up the willow again. When it's lying down you can only see it from one place, and there are leaves in the way.

Mario alerted me to a Purple Jellydisc fungus, Ascocoryne sarcoides, on a log north of the Henry Moore sculpture, which would have made an interesting picture if I had been able to find it. I tried yesterday and failed, and was equally unsuccessful today although I am now fairly sure which log it is. There are three logs on the east side of the path between the sculpture and the Buck Hill shelter, and I think it's the middle one. I did find a large growth here of what may be Smoky Bracket, Bjerkandera adusta.

The log to the south had a smaller fungus which I can't identify.

The one to the north had something more interesting. It may be Crystal Brain, Myxarium nucleatum.

Well, I am no good at the fungus game. I greatly admire Mario's skill. As I was blundering around hopelessly a Magpie looked at me cynically from an oak.

Jin Yucheng was at Rainham Marshes and got a picture of a Long-Billed Dowitcher, an infrequent visitor which breeds in Siberia and North America.