The Grey Herons in the top nest on the island have three chicks, not two as I thought when they first came into view yesterday.
The three young herons from the nest at the east end of the island are now regularly climbing out, and one was on the adjoining nest.
The heron at the southwest corner of the bridge was hanging around in a tree by the path, waiting for someone to come and feed it. It doesnn't seem to have a mate, though I have seen a pair here make a brief and unsuccessful attempt at nesting.
The nearby weeping willow, which collapsed into the lake several years ago, is a favourite hangout for ducks of all kinds. Here a female Tufted Duck and Pochard preen on a partly submerged branch.
The Egyptian Geese on the Serpentine are still hanging on to their two goslings.
The female Little Owl at the Round Pond was well camouflaged against the trunk of a horse chestnut tree.
Ahmet Amerikali shot this remarkable close-up video of a Wren singing. Usually they are very shy and unapproachable.
A Song Thrush was in good voice near the Serpentine Gallery. It's been a very good year for them, and for the first time they are the most numerous thrush in the park.
A pair is nesting near the southwest corner of the bridge, and Ahmet got a shot of one arriving with nesting material.
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There is also a pair of Greenfinches here. This is the female.
One of the Long-Tailed Tits in the Rose Garden paused for a moment on a broken twig before dashing into the bush where they are nesting.
Blue Tits are nesting in a hole in a tree near the Buck Hill shelter.
The Robins at Mount Gate were hopping around in the bushes, and I think I saw the male feeding his mate, a prelude to nesting.
The long staying Fieldfare is still on the Parade Ground ...
... accompanied by three Redwings.
A Stock Dove wandered around on the path by my feet. Usually you see them in trees and they are much shyer than Feral Pigeons.
A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee browsed on a hyacinth in a Rose Garden border ...
... and a male Hairy-Footed Flower Bee was also at work.
I could listen to a Song Thrush for hours.
ReplyDeleteI always thought I had never seen a teen Heron, but now I wonder. They're the same size as adults, and if they ruffle their feathers they may look even larger.
Tinúviel
(Google's incessant tinkering has just broken the 'Reply' link, so all new comments have to look as if they were made de novo.)
ReplyDeleteYoung herons lose their juvenile saggy feathers quite soon, and by the time they are independent they are beginningt to be sleek and elegant. They stay uniformly grey into their second year, I think until a moult in autumn.
Good to see your Fieldfare still present. I have seen them some years as late as early May, though usually gone long before then.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Song Thrushes are now more common there. I wonder if this is connected to a reduction in Blackbird numbers? The two do compete with Blackbird dominating Song Thrush.
Yes, I'm sure it's connected with the decline in Blackbirds. But this is caused by habitat loss due to bad park management, and I don't see why Song Thrushes should be less affected by that.
DeleteAgree poor management (eg shrub beds removed, air-drying leaf blowers, etc) are factors but I suspect Usutu virus also is a big factor in their decline with the London area worst affected. Perhaps Song Thrush is less susceptible to it?
DeleteAnd maybe also to blame for the decline in Redwing?
DeleteI guess possible, though they are pretty nomadic, so difficult to say from one season. Certainly been fewer this winter. I was surprised to see a feeding flock of at least 20 still at Kew a couple of days back.
ReplyDeleteAparf from yearly fluctuations, numbers of Redwing in London seem to de declining sharply over a longer term. Ten or twelve years ago it was commonplace to see 200 on the deserted cricket pitch of Burton Court in Chelsea amd even in the much busier Westbourne Park, and we were getting 50 in Hyde Park.
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