A young Grey Heron on the stairs at the bridge saw a rat carelessly appearing on a step above it, watched its course in the undergrowth, caught it, and swallowed it whole. A Carrion Crow made a vain effort to grab the prey.
The three teenagers could be seen in the nest on the island. They are climbing around now but don't go far from the nest where their parents are still feeding them.
The female Mute Swan nesting by the Lido restaurant terrace has now hatched three cygnets. There are five more eggs to go.
The family on the Long Water with six remaining cygnets were feeding by a reed bed.
Another Red-Crested Pochard drake has arrived on the Serpentine.
The Coot foolishly nesting on the edge was stubbornly sticking to the site.
A Mandarin drake and his mate preened on posts at the Vista.
The female on the Round Pond has lost another duckling and is down to nine. This is still a good effort: on the main lake there would be no survivors by now.
The Little Owl pair were conversing side by side on a branch. They're very vocal at the moment and will probably be nesting soon.
The Reed Warbler pair below the Italian Garden are nesting. Ahmet Amerikali photographed one carrying a bit of grass.
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I was feeding some Great Tits by the Serpentine Gallery when a Robin I had never had any dealings with before got the idea and started coming to my hand. It followed me for some way, taking half a dozen pine nuts.
The ever hungry Blue Tit in the Rose Garden was in the hawthorn tree, about to come down, when a Jay landed in the tree and scared it away.
It reappeared in a dogwood bush.
The Coal Tits at Mount Gate have brought out two fledglings. They are yellower than adults, as is usual with tits of most species.
The Long-Tailed Tit family at the northwest corner of the bridge were ranging around the trees. A young one paused for long enough to be photographed.
The male Greenfinch by the Steiner bench is often heard and seen. This is his mate, much less green.
A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee in the Rose Garden was collecting pollen from a heuchera.
I saw a male shoveler on the Long Water today, on the far side of the lake from Peter Pan. I was surprised because I thought they all would have gone north by now
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was one of the southern population that had gone north. But simple stragglers are not uncommon.
DeleteA pair of Shovelers were seen on Hampstead Heath on Wednesday. Especially loving your passerines above. Jim
DeleteA great pleasure to find the young Coal Tits. I'd been watching the pair at Mount Gate for some time. Then they disappeared for weeks and I worried -- but they were just nesting.
DeleteI never knew Coots were so stubborn in their baffling ways. Even when failure and death constantly stares them in the face.
ReplyDeleteSean
It comes partly from not being very bright.
DeleteWhat's death, a Coot will say.
DeleteTinúviel
Thank you for publishing such a wonderful blog, Ralph. We met briefly in front of the tree near the Round Pond, as it burnt down. I now read your blog daily.
ReplyDeleteGood to meet you, and thank you for your kind words.
DeleteExtraordinary footage of the Heron and the rat.
ReplyDeleteVery lucky to be there at the crucial moment.
DeleteIncredible video of the Heron and the rat. I can't help feeling a bit sorry about the rat, although mercifully it looked dead when it went down. Herons are precision snipers.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Mr and Mrs Little Owl are saying to each other.
Tinúviel
Herons get rats quite often, and I have several still pictures. The rat was always dealt with mercifully fast.
DeleteAs for the owls, I think it's like this -- except that the Bilious Old Gentleman (that's me) is throughly approving.