It turns out that there are two families of Egyptian Geese on the Round Pond, the one I saw yesterday with nine goslings ...
... and another pair which originally had eight but is now down to six. They were on opposite sides of the pond, so there was no fighting for now.
A pair on the Serpentine has nine, photographed by Ahmet Amerikali.
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There is also a report of a Mallard with twelve ducklings.
The Black Swan was ashore at the Dell restaurant, begging with practised skill.
A Great Crested Grebe shooed off a Coot which had wandered too close to its fishing ground.
A Cormorant on a post at Peter Pan found the spring sunshine a bit too warm, and panted to cool down.
Four Common Gulls harassed a Black-Headed Gull carrying a bit of food.
The Grey Herons at the west end of the island were in and by the nest.
The middle nest also had two in attendance. The top nest has eggs in it and a parent has been sitting for a while, but so far it's not clear if anything has happened.
The young heron in the reeds under the Italian Garden stared intently into a gap. It lunged, but didn't come up with a fish.
The Fieldfare is still on the Parade Ground. Today it came within 50 yards of the fence and there was a chance of a slightly better picture.
There were also two or three Redwings, but these stayed impossibly far away.
Wood Pigeons ate blossom in a cherry tree near the bridge. Though greedy, they do much less damage to trees than the invasive Rose-Ringed Parakeets.
Cherry blossom in the Rose Garden attracted a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee.
A Blue Tit perched among leaf buds.
Ahmet got a picture of one of the Long-Tailed Tits on Buck Hill gathering moss for the nest.
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The female Little Owl at the Round Pond was out on a branch.
A sad ending: a young fox with an injured hind leg limped across the lawn between the Dell and the Rose Garden.
It climbed into a bush in the garden. But when rescuers arrived a few hours later they found it dead. Probably it had been hit by a car and died of internal bleeding.
I found an exciting bird on Sunday afternoon in the park! A Red Kite flew over the Albert Memorial in the morning and then headed south over the Royal Albert Hall. I can send a picture if you are interested
ReplyDeleteTheodore
Yes please, even if it's only a record shot. They're still very scarce in inner London.
DeleteGreat to see the Fieldfare back Ralph, just hope area remains cordoned off for a while longer which is such a boon to birders!
ReplyDeleteDavid Jeffreys
I think the Fieldfare hasn't been away. It just has to move a bit when there are turf workers in the area. I found it again today as well as three Redwings. The returfing work is far from finished, so the fence will be up for a while.
DeleteWould you say the Grebe there is punching above its weight? I'm undecided.
ReplyDeleteDoes the Black Swan begging technique differs significantly from that of the Mute Swans? I'm curious!
Tinúviel
A Great Crested Grebe can beat a Coot in the water, thanks to its sharp beak, agility, and ability to attack from below. On land, of course, it's helpless.
DeleteThe Black Swan doesn't really need to beg. It just marches up to people and looks glamorous.