The solitary Grey Heron in the nest at the west end of the island has a mate at last. I have no idea where it was, possibly in Regent's Park taking a long time to come over. Whether they will manage to breed is uncertain, as this nest -- or maybe its occupants -- has a history of failure.
Sad to say, the upper nest on the island, the first to have a sitting bird in it, has been empty for the last two days. But the one at the east end is still a going concern.
A heron waited on the small willow tree beside the lake at the Triangle. This is a good vantage point because people often feed the geese and swans here, and if the heron sees a tempting morsel it can descend with a frightening screech and grab it.
The lonely Moorhen in the Dell also has a new companion. The two young foxes left some time ago, so it's now a safer place for Moorhens.
The single Gadwall drake in the Italian Garden had a Tufted Duck for company. Tufted Ducks often accompany larger ducks, and a quiet Gadwall is more peaceful to be with than a Mallard. The Little Grebe that stayed in the Italian Garden for three months early in 2023 also used to hang out with Gadwalls.
A male Great Crested Grebe, now in full breeding finery, fished under the parapet. There don't seem to be many fish here after the Cormorants have given the place their full attention, but grebes will always find something long after the Cormorant have given up and left.
A young Herring Gull amused itself by hitching a ride on a pedalo.
A Carrion Crow perched on the royal crown that acts as a chimney for the one of the gas lamps around the Serpentine. It struck me that the crown is very roughly cobbled up out of steel sheet and fastened together with modern pop rivets.
And indeed it's a replacement for a much better original, here seen on another lamp with a Magpie on it.
One might be tempted to draw comparisons with the current state of the royal family.
A Wren hung upside down in a bush by the Buck Hill shelter.
The Robin just along the path arrived for its daily pine nuts.
I couldn't find the Robin in the Flower Walk at first, but then it appeared in a dogwood bush on the other side of the crossing.
A Jay blocked the path at Peter Pan until I gave it a peanut.
A Blue Tit in the Rose Garden was also making itself obvious.
A Coal Tit came out in a bush in the shrubbery.
A pair of Blackbirds hopped around in a rose bed.
The pair of Egyptian Geese in the Rose Garden are far from the lake where you'd expect them to live. But they have water in the fountain and a lawn to graze on, and most importantly the outer pool of the fountain serves as a moat to protect them from people and dogs.
Despite the cold day, a few tough Buff-Tailed Bumblebees were browsing in the nearby mahonia bush.
The first hellebores are beginning to come out for the bees to move on to when the mahonia blossom is over.
I wonder that hellebore won't yield toxic honey the way rhododendron does (I'm assuming it's the same plant Greeks called hellebore). I hope, unrelated to the previous idea, that one of the Bumblebees is the one Jenna rescued yesterday.
ReplyDeleteNow I have an image in my head of tiny Galdalf-like Jay shouting, "You shall not pass!".
Tinúviel
It's possible that hellebore nectar and pollen may not be toxic, as we saw with the bees feeding unharmed on the deadly Hemlock Water Dropwort last summer. But anyway the only bees around are bumblebees, with the Honeybees long since retired to their hives in the Ranger's Lodge garden.
DeleteI'm sad to say that Jenna's bumblebee died. I found its body. It had been absolutely on its last legs when picked up. RIP.
The Jay know perfectly well that I won't walk over it, as I have always been careful to give birds the space they need. So it can engage in a small act of bravado. I would never laugh at it either.