The Peregrines have hardly been seen in the park since the male got a new mate, and it seems she has led him to a new place. But today he was back on the tower, by himself. Let's hope all is well with their relationship. Females dominate, and can go off with a new male on a whim.
The female Little Owl at the Round Pond looked comfortable in the lime tree. But will they get around to nesting this year after their scare when their old tree burned down?
A Jay preened busily in a dead tree beside the Long Water.
It's easy to read expressions into the faces and attitudes of birds, but this female Great Tit in the Rose Garden really did look harassed by having her young constantly yelling at her. There were two of them vying for attention.
It was much the same with this Starling at Mount Gate, also with two hungry fledglings.
A Pied Wagtail trotted past my feet at the edge of the Serpentine.
Ahmet Amerikali got a fine shot of a Dunnock at Peter Pan.
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When these Coots started nesting on the chain at the Serpentine I wondered what they would do when the Cormorant that always stands on the chain came back to the park. It has come back, and the Coots are ignoring it.
The Coots at the Mute Swans' nest by the landing stage are also undisturbed. The swans looked busier than usual, but there was no sign that the eggs were finally hatching.
The Mallard ducklings on the Round Pond were in a comfortable hepap beside their mother. They're quite large now.
So are two of the Mandarin ducklings but the third one, on the left here, is noticeably lagging in growth.
The Mandarin at the Vista was with a female Gadwall and a Red-Crested Pochard drake.
There were two more Red-Crested Pochard drakes out on the water.
Joan Chatterley was at Walthamstow Wetlands and found a pair of Barnacle Geese with one gosling ...
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... and a lovely Banded Demoiselle.
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In the park several Emperor dragonflies were hunting around the Italian Garden, and Ahmet got a good shot of one.
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A female Black-Tailed Skimmer basked on the tarmac path at the Triangle. They like gravel, and the small stones rolled into the tar on the paths in the park attract them. But it doesn't make a good background for a picture.
A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee and a Honeybee browsed on the lavender flowers in the Rose Garden.
Those Barnacle Geese being part of a feral population, since in centuries past, the mystery of their breeding locations led to the myth that they hatched out of goose barnacles. Though it's not clear how many people actually believed this, or why other northerly-migrating birds didn't attract such claims. Jim
ReplyDeleteMedieval bestiaries had pictures of Barnacle Geese emerging from trees. The myth was that those that fell on land died, and those that fell in water lived. They were therefore classed as fish, so that they could be eaten on Fridays. How convenient.
DeleteWhat a wonderful, wonderful miniature. I had never heard about that belief - I assume it must be specifically British.
DeleteTinúviel
I've seen several versions of this picture in different bestiaries and yes, they were all British. But maybe that's just because I haven't seen foreign ones that have the legend. The French writer Hugh of Fouilloy's Aviarium has a chapter De ansere (51) which doesn't mention it.
DeleteI know it's silly to humanize animals, even more so insects, but I'd defy anyone to produce anything to happy-looking as a Bumblebee browsing flowers.
ReplyDeleteThat female Great Tit looks almost like the human mother of a toddler.
Tinúviel
*so happy-looking. Stupid fingers.
DeleteLike gods, bees spend their days drinking nectar. (But in Britain Ambrosia is the name of a brand of tinned rice pudding, so I can never look at the name straight.)
DeleteSongbird parents are often in a dreafully run-down state after they finally kick out their insatiable offspring, thin and with missing feathers. They recover by eating late sumnmer insects and replace their battered plumage in autumn, ready to go through the same trial again next year.