The Robin at Mount Gate came out as usual to be fed. It doesn't sing much ...
... but its mate was very vocal in a dogwood bush, and in this video you can hear the first one answering occasionally.
The Robin by the Buck Hill shelter, also waiting to take some pine nuts ...
... was not in the least disturbed by the air ambulance taking off a few yards away. The birds here see helicopters arriving and leaving all day and are quite used to them.
There was a good showing of Coal Tits, in the Flower Walk ...
... at the southwest corner of the bridge ...
... in the Dell ...
...and in an unseasonably flowering abelia bush in the Rose Garden ...
... where the male Chaffinch was also waiting in the hawthorn.
The floral confusion has also affected a red camellia in the Flower Walk.
The female Pied Wagtail was hunting along the shore at the Lido.
An unusual video from Spain sent by Tinúviel: a flock of Ruddy Turnstones was obliged to come ashore during a storm at Gijón. They wandered about on the sea front, not particularly shy as they had no experience of humans.
The Grey Herons in the east nest were interested in something at the bottom of the nest, which is quite likely eggs waiting to be incubated.
Cormorants at Peter Pan enjoyed the sunshine ...
... and so did Pigeon Eater in his usual place on the Dell restaurant roof.
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The dominant Black-Headed Gull was annoyed because there was a pair of Canada Geese on his platform, too big for him to move. But he had cleared away all the other gulls and there wasn't another in sight within a hundred yards.
A Great Crested Grebe was fishing under the pontoons at the bridge, calling occasionally to its mate out of sight on the other side of the line. It didn't find anything in the deeper water in the middle of the lake, so it shook its head ...
... and went over to the shallows at the edge to examine the fallen leaves, where it found a lurking fish.
Is this the Pied Wagtails first winter season... based on the yellowish face it has.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've often seen water birds get annoyed when fishing. Like the GCG, I've seen Herons frustrated with themselves with a shake of the head and a snap of the bill after missing various strikes, coming up empty handed. Also when another bird comes into its perimeter and scares off the fishes.
Sean
How did it see it? I wonder if it bumped into the fish, or if it knew it was there.
ReplyDeleteLovely video of the singing Robin. To the Robin it's probably a show of aggression and dominance, but I can't help thinking of Tinkle Bell's language: lovely tinkling sounds, even when she was cursing Wendy out.
Tinúviel
Who knows what a grebe's sensitive bill can detect? Probably a lot more than we suppose.
DeleteI was taken to see the Peter Pan play when I was little. At one point Tinker Belle (spelling?) is supposed to be dying and the audience is addressed directly, 'Clap if you want her to live.' I was the only child in the audience who didn't clap.
Our native turnstones are constant companions when fishing at Weymouth, they will scuttle between your feet, quite alarming in the dark. The bolder ones will come and beg for titbits of fish.
ReplyDeleteSo they're naturally fearless? They mush have seen enough of people not to have the naive confidence of first sighting.
DeleteThat Grebe footage is great!
ReplyDeleteI never tire of watching them.
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