Knot -- a new species for the park

Today's main news is that a Knot was seen at the Lido on the 9th by Katharina Seilern-Macpherson, who took this picture on her phone.

It took a while to confirm the place and get the picture, hence the delay in reporting. This is a new species for the park and brings the all-time list of sightings up to 198. I do hope we can get it up to 200 before I fall off the twig.

Of course the Knot was long gone by the time I checked, and all I found at the Lido today was a young Moorhen.

The sloping edge of the Serpentine is a good place for birds that poke around in the algae, and is actually more popular with vagrant waders than the gravel strips that were put specially in the Long Water and Round Pond. A couple of years ago Tom and I found a Dunlin in exactly the same place at the Lido.

Julia filmed this Pied Wagtail hunting insects on the dropping-covered gravel in the Round Pond. It was worried by Herring Gulls circling overhead, and kept glancing up anxiously.

The Little Owl was out in her usual horse chestnut tree ...

... though made nervous by a couple of Magpies on a lower branch.

The Black Swan came over to take some sunflower seeds.

A Magpie bathed in the Huntress fountain in the Rose Garden, coming out between splashing sessions on to a branch to preen.

The fountain is also used by the local pair of Egyptian Geese.

The female Chaffinch looked around warily from a hawthorn twig, while her mate was on the ground under the tree. They are becoming more confident about being fed.

A Wren appeared for a moment in the shrubbery.

A big beech tree was looking very fine in its autumn colours.

In the North Flower Walk the Robin was in the same tree as yesterday, and I managed to get it to take a couple of pine nuts thrown on the ground.

The pale Lesser Black-Backed Gull with dark eyes was at the Dell restaurant in the absence of Pigeon Eater. It's a particularly large and chunky bird, as big as a Herring Gull, and if you see it on its own it would be easy to mistake for a Great Black-Back.

Black-Headed Gulls and Cormorants filled the fallen poplar in the Long Water.

One of the young Great Crested Grebes was fishing with its father at the north end of the lake.

Shoveller drakes revolved  as they scooped up small aquatic creatures with their enormous bills. A Common Pochard, with a different style of feeding, dived in the background.

A small procession of Gadwalls cruised up the edge.

Virginia has a favourite female Tufted Duck on the Serpentine. It has an injured wing and can't fly, but feeds confidently from her hand.

A rumour of a female Scaup on the Serpentine turns out to be unfounded. It's the Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid that has often appeared on this blog. It does look quite like a Scaup.