Another dank misty day. The Wigeon at the Round Pond browsed in grass wetted by condensation, and I had to keep wiping fog off the camera lens.
This Grey Heron isn't in its nest. It's on an old Magpie nest at the Triangle. But in fact the place on the island where the heron is sitting on eggs is a former Magpie nest which the herons have extended slightly. It saves them a lot of trouble ...
... because they have quite a struggle to break off twigs. Their beak, perfect for catching fish, doesn't have much biting power.
There is now a pair at the middle nest. In fact I think that both this and the east nest are just being occupied for later breeding, and the only serious pair are the ones who are already sitting.
The solitary Grey Wagtail ...
... and a Pied Wagtail were hunting at the Lido.
A Blackbird rummaged in fallen leaves in the Rose Garden shrubbery.
A Robin waited on a branch for its daily ration of pine nuts.
A Great Tit by the Henry Moore sculpture was also looking expectant.
A Wood Pigeon in the Dell wasn't doing anything, but looked decorative against a background of fallen leaves.
At the restaurant a Jackdaw was constantly disturbed by the birds bustling around while it tried to eat a peanut.
Pigeon Eater was on the roof, looking over his shoulder at a Feral Pigeon in case it should relax and look away.
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The dominant Black-Headed Gull was keeping an eye on his territory from the top of the Big Bird statue.
The Czech gull, not seen for a while, was back on the usual post. The sign has been ornamented with a sticker ...
... which I was curious about and looked up. Insurrezione Giallorossa (Red-and-Yellow Rebellion) is a group of football fans at AS Roma who are tired, as they well might be, of the billion-dollar blandness of modern football and want a return to the exciting old days.
A Great Crested Grebe was fishing under the bridge.
A single Shoveller drake was feeding at the island. There are fewer Shovellers on the lake than in the autumn. They have a habit of coming here for a few weeks and then moving somewhere else.
A single Black Swan has been seen on the Thames at Barnes. I wonder if it's ours, bored with the park and looking for adventure.
The Black Swan incident goes on to show we really know little about birds' mental capacity. We all took for granted that it wouldn't be able to navigate its way around and here we are.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that Herons should be so incapable at nest-building. Their beaks are similar to those of Storks - and Storks are masterful architects.
Tinúviel
It's odd. They really do have considerable trouble breaking off twigs. Mind you, storks are more than happy to reuse last year's nest with a few token additions to renovate it.
DeleteIt’s a nice sight seeing a Heron in a tree.
ReplyDeleteI feel the Roma fans pain! I have always loved football but the last few years I have really fell out of love with it all. It is such a load of shit today and corrupt! With the buzzkill of VAR, the brainwashing and manipulation used through various media platforms, because they know they can control a large population of people with the sport (business). It is so commercialised today and overhyped, with the same old fixtures every year and talentless footballers being paid a fortune to kick a ball of air! I recently went to the “upgraded” West Ham Olympic Stadium and it just felt like an absolute shake down with extortionate prices on average items, all for some pathetic entertainment. Rant over.
I hope the Black Swan is keeping well wherever he is and finds a mate for himself and settles down, he deserves it. It would be a nice ending if he could bring her back to the park and they lived happily ever after.
Twenty-two millionaires chasing a bladder.
ReplyDeleteI did see a Black Swan on the Thames during several WeBS surveys last year, so I suspect a different bird. Another has been photographed a couple of times near me on the canal in the Greenford to Alperton stretch.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm still waiting to hear whether it's been seen in St James's Park.
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