It was a dark and dreary day, and by half past two it was almost too dim to take photographs at all. But at least the Little Owl at the Round Pond came to the front of her hole for a short time and gave me a look as if to say 'Will you stop pointing that thing at me?'
Her usual horse chestnut tree was unavailable, as there was a pair of Carrion Crows in it.
Crows like to dunk dry foods in water, and this one took a peanut to the edge of the Serpentine to open it.
A Song Thrush was singing in the brambles near Henry Moore but absolutely refused to come into sight. While I was wandering around the clump trying to see it, a Jay watched from a tree ...
... along with a Blue Tit which was busy eating something, but it wasn't clear what this was. A closer look at the picture shows that it was a larva that had been on a leaf, and the bird had collected both the leaf and the larva.
The local Robin was also here expecting a pine nut.
So did two Robins in the Rose Garden, but they were confronting each other across the path and nattering angrily. They did manage to come out alternately to take pine nuts from the path.
The usual Chaffinch picked me up at the back of the Albert Memorial and followed me to the Round Pond.
Long-Tailed Tits passed through the small trees at the edge of the Diana fountain reed bed.
There are now three occupied Grey Heron nests on the island, at the east end ...
... and on the top nest in the middle ...
... and a new arrival in the nest at the west end, a site which for some reason has never been successful.
None of this, of course, is a sure sign that any of the herons mean to nest soon.
Pigeon Eater was away from his territory, and the two Lesser Black-Backs with pale legs had moved in. This is the one with dark eyes. They seem to be brothers and are on friendly terms with each other, but not of course with Pigeon Eater who will drive them out as soon as he returns.
A single Red-Crested Pochard cruised past the Lido. The others seem to have left, probably returning to St James's Park where there is a large permanent flock.
But we have lots of Common Pochards. These were under a tree at the Vista, a favourite gathering place.
The Wigeon on the Round Pond was waiting for a flock of Egyptian Geese to assemble on the grass so she could join them to graze, and she passed the time by preening.
It was an incredibly dark, dreary afternoon, Ralph. You did well getting those lovely portraits of the drake Red-crested Pochard & Little Owl. Do like the composite photo with the Pochard under the fallen tree.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that Wigeon identifies as a goose! Seriously though, large grazing coastal flocks are often with geese of similar grazing habit, such as Brent Geese.
Fortunately it looks to be a bit brighter this morning. Really I was photographing things I could barely see.
ReplyDeleteIt must be just similarity of feeding habits, not any feeling of kinship, that keeps the Wigeon with the geese. When she arrived she did try associating with some Gadwalls, but soon abandoned them as they stayed in the water.
At Ruislip Lido we currently have just under 30 Wigeon but they are all feeding in the water on the pondweed along with over 150 Gadwall & well over 300 Coots. The Coots dive & bring food up which the Gadwall in particular take advantage of, but to some extent so do the Wigeon.
DeleteInteresting. Our Wigeon seems completely uninterested in feeding in the water. This may be because the Round Pond is quite low in algae (or at any rate the strands stay right down in cold weather) while there is abundant grass far richer than anything the Wigeon would find in a marsh.
DeleteGlad to see the Robins are able to agree to a detente while raiding pine nuts. Many humans wouldn't be able to think that far ahead.
ReplyDeleteI think it's much as Ralph says: she identifies with people, er, birds, which have the same feeding habits she does.
"Darkness at noon" is the chilliest title, and unfortunately appropriate.
Tinúviel
It's sad to reflect that even the violent Robins are more sensible than humans.
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