The female Grey Heron in the nest at the east end of the Serpentine island was rearranging twigs in the nest. We know it's the female because ...
... she was soon joined by her mate. They had a little display and he preened her gently. It's looking as if they're going to go ahead with breeding, the second pair to start this winter.
At first sight this is a very ordinary picture of young Mute Swans on the Long Water. But there are six of them, and the killer swan has only five here. Has the young one from the Serpentine crept in to join the teenagers?
In fact the killer swan and his mate have six teenagers alive. But one of them had to be taken to the Swan Sanctuary to have a broken leg mended, and I think that regulations mean it has to stay there. Anyway it would be a risky step to try to return it to the family after so many months.
Ducks on the Long Water included half a dozen Gadwalls ...
... and there are a few Shovellers still here, including this drake looking very fine in the sunlight.
At the far end of the Serpentine, Pigeon Eater was thinking of lunch.
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A bit of bread thrown into the water started a race which was won by a young Herring Gull.
The Black-Headed Gull on the landing stage was jealously guarding his territory.
Birds really don't like citrus fruit. Even a young Moorhen, a bird that will eat just about anything, abandoned a bit of orange at the Lido after a cursory peck and went off off to poke in the algae.
A Pied Wagtail wandered along the gravel strip in the Round Pond.
There was no sign of the Wigeon, but there were only a few Egyptian Geese and she may have gone off with the rest of the flock.
The number of Jackdaws here continues to increase, and they are now also all along the north edge of the Serpentine. Clearly they are breeding here, but oddly I've never noticed a young Jackdaw -- while young Carrion Crows and Magpies are common and we sometimes see young Jays too.
A crowd of Great Tits gathered in the winter flowering cherry at the southwest corner of the bridge.
The original pair of Great Tits that come to be fed in the Rose Garden has now expanded to eight. Word gets around in the tit world.
Customers also included a Coal Tit ...
... a Blue Tit raising its little crest ...
... and the male Chaffinch of the resident pair.
A white Feral Pigeon stood on the new marble bowl of the Huntress fountain.
A Robin in the North Flower Walk had a background of red dogwood stems.
Is there any chance that the sixth young swan may be accepted into the killer swan family?
ReplyDeleteI think it was around mid December that some Herons began to nest the past year as well.
Tinúviel
I think it unlikely that the killer swan will accept a newcomer. With most birds juvenile plumage wins a certain latitude from adults, but not with swans and certainly not with His Horrible Highness, who has already killed quite a few cygnets. I just hope the young swan gets away with merely being chased off. At least it can fly, unlike younger cygnets.
DeleteYes indeed, one pair of herons on the island was breeding by 22 December last year, that being the first date I was sure of it, but not the date they started which would have been several days earlier. Now it seems we have two pairs on the go.