There were two Great Black-Backed Gulls on the Serpentine, a fairly rare sight in the park. One was quite close in to the edge ...
... and the other out in the middle, standing on a pedalo next to a young Herring Gull.
The Grey Heron sitting at the east end of the island was visited by its mate, ready to change places on the eggs.
A heron was fishing under the water spouts on the edge of the Italian Garden ...
... but there isn't much left here to catch. Ahmet Amerikali got a good picture of a Cormorant coming up with a disappointingly small carp.
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There were plenty of Egyptian Geese near the Dell restuarant, attracted by the crowds visiting the Winter Wasteland. This one was having a very vigorous wash.
A Wren jumped about in a tree near the Buck Hill shelter. This used to be in a bramble thicket which gave the Wrens good cover, but it has been razed to the ground. However, the Wren refuses to leave and has now become unusually visible.
Today's Robins included one just across the path ...
... and one at Peter Pan. Both came to my hand and took several pine nuts.
The Blue Tits in the Rose Garden can still only be fed by throwing pine nuts on the ground, but they are keen on them. This one came back for several more. I turned the sound right down on this video, as there was a hideous din coming out of the Wasteland.
The male Chaffinch also came out for his daily treat.
There was a report of a Little Egret by the lane in St James's Park, so I went there but didn't find it. It may have been hidden on one of the islands.
There were plenty of ordinary Grey Herons, including this one on the chimney of the Duck Island cottage.
A Little Grebe was far off under the bushes on the larger island.
It was a surprise to see only one Red-Crested Pochard. On previous visits I've always found a large flock at Duck Island. But they do fly around the parks, and there are several drakes on the Long Water.
Two Black Swans were visible. One of them is the female we had in the park before the recently departed one, which has now become a guardian of the cygnets of a Mute pair. I don't know which the one in this picture is.
A Ross's Goose, a North American bird, is part of the collection. I don't like captive collections, and one of the attractions of Hyde Park is that all the birds are there because they want to be. But it's a charming little creature, only just larger than a Mallard.
The White Pelicans have become absurdly tolerant of humans. They are actually pale pink.
As I came back through Kensington Gardens it was getting dark. The last bird I saw was one of the pair of Coal Tits at Mount Gate, which has become quite tolerant of being photographed because it knows I will give it a pine nut afterwards.
Those Pelicans are magnificent-looking. Although I do recall one of them was responsible for one of the most traumatic videos of years past!
ReplyDeleteAmazing size on that GBB, although I suspect it's a female.
I'm amazed that you are able to recognize the Black Swan. I have a hard time even telling some people apart!
Tinúviel
Well, I didn't actually know which swan that was, as it's a long time since I saw her closely in Hyde Park. And I too am absolutely hopeless, to a pathological degree, at recognising people.
DeleteIf the shape of a Great Black-Back's skull follows the same rules as for a Lesser, that does look like a female. A side view, not published, shows it to be quite round-topped. The other gull is too far away to allow guessing of its sex, but it seems likely that they are a pair.
Yes, those pelicans do have a tendency to swallow pigeons whole, and it has been filmed to general horror.
I do like the Ross's Goose. Quite petite. They have recently been admitted onto the British list. It took a long time as it's understandably a popular species in collections, so as with many wildfowl vagrants it's deciding which are potential escapes & which are likely to have arrived here under their own steam.
ReplyDeleteAlways helpful if they arrive with potential carrier species such as Pink-footed Geese arriving from Iceland/Greenland & not lingering in the summer. I did see a couple on my regular winter Norfolk birding trips & after many years have been deemed wild.
I always thought they were & though I always enjoy seeing a new species I'm not really a proper lister as I couldn't say how many species I have seen.
It looks as if that Ross's Goose has intact wings, so it's a second generation bird staying in the park because it was hatched there. Good to know they're breeding. I once saw a Red-Breasted Goose on the Grand Union Canal at Kensal Green, presumably a similar story.
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