Wednesday, 22 October 2025

Bridge repairs begin at last

A Song Thrush was eating sloes in a blackthorn tree east of the Lido.


A Rose-Ringed Parakeet ate the fruit of an arbutus tree in the Dell.


The usual crew turned out in the Rose Garden for pine nuts, including a Great Tit in a rose bush.


The Robin at the southwest corner of the bridge was also looking expectant.


A Magpie was looking decorative in yellow hornbeam leaves by the Serpentine Gallery.


More practically, another one was inspecting dishes at the Lido restaurant.


The large new ramp for swimmers at the Lido provides another place for fish to lurk in the shadows, as a Grey Heron has already discovered.


Four Cormorants dried and preened on the fallen Lombardy poplar tree at the Peter Pan waterfront.


A Carrion Crow was reflected in the water at the near end.


A youg Herring Gull played with a conker on the Serpentine shore.


Work is finally beginning on the long delayed repairs to the bridge. They aren't just repairing the damaged parapet, they're renovating the whole thing. This needs large pontoons stretched across the lake on one side, and a movable floating platform on the other.


I talked to the workmen. We were both baffled by the line of stakes that was hammered into the lake yesterday -- you can see the ones not yet placed in the foreground of the picture. They have nothing to do with the bridge, and no one could guess what they are for.

The barrier across the lake has isolated the killer Mute Swan's family on the Long Water, as the teenagers won't be able to get past the bridge until they can fly well enough to get over it -- swans never fly under the bridge as these unmanoeuvrable birds are afraid of crashing into it. This is good news for the lone teenager on the Serpentine, as it will be protected from attack for some time.


The young Great Crested Grebe from the nest at the bridge was on the Serpentine side, but the barrier will be no obstacle as it can easily swim underneath.


It was fishing along the edge, poking into the space under the concrete border. Evidently it was getting some small fish or other creatures, as you often see grebes doing this.


There are now two pairs of Canada Geese with Canada x Greylag hybrids, and they are keeping together on the Serpentine. Although the two hybrids have similar plumage they aren't related, and their feet are different colours. They arrived on the lake at different times.


The single Egyptian teenager has been limping after an injury, and we were worried about it. But since I last saw it two days ago it seems to be moving more easily, so with luck it should recover.


There is a new single young Egyptian too, which must have flown in with its parents. Egyptians can fly before they are fully grown, and it displayed a mighty pair of wings as it climbed out of the lake by the Dell restaurant.


A huge clump of Honey Fungus has come up near Temple Gate. There is probably the remnant of a felled tree under the grass here.

4 comments:

  1. You don't often see a Crow on the water like that, perching. Only when it's hot and they come in to the edge for a drink and wash as they don't seem to look for food in the water.

    I've seen similar wooden posts like that before in lakes but taller and it was at my fishing lake, that the bailiff told me it is to do with erosion of the soil and flood control, which would make a bit of sense with the storm coming but then why would they start the works with a storm..
    Sean

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    1. ALSO. It looks like the workers have destroyed the Coots nest that is always positioned on the other side of the railings.
      Sean

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  2. The young Grebe's crest if growing at a very good pace. Except for its stripey head it looks remarkably adult like right now.
    Good news for the lone teen swan, I guess. With every day that passes uneventfullly he grows larger and stronger.
    Tinúviel

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    1. I'm not so sure now that the killer swan is on the safe side of the barrier. I couldn't see him on the Serpentine, but John reports having seen him. Will have to check in the morning.

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