The two Robins at Mount Gate are a pair during the breeding season but maintain separate territories in winter. Both sing, but the male sings more and it's him in the bush at the far side. The female is usually quicker to come out to be fed.
A Coal Tit was waiting in the dogwood bush ...
... and the one by the bridge flew into a hawthorn near Temple Gate.
The Robin near the Buck Hill shelter now charges out of the bushes when it sees me coming, and ticks irritably if it thinks I haven't noticed.
The one in the Rose Garden also expects prompt service ...
... as do the two Coal Tits ...
... a small flock of Blue Tits ...
... and the male Chaffinch. I still see his mate occasionally but she's much shyer.
The corkscrew hazel in the Dell was occupied by several Great Tits ...
... and a Blue Tit perched in a bush at the corner.
A flock of Long-Tailed Tits was at work in the trees at the northwest corner of the bridge.
Although flocks travel constantly they also have favourite spots, and this is one of them and they nest here in spring. Other places are at the east end of the Lido swimming area, and in the Rose Garden.
The Pied Wagtail was on the roof of the boat hire building. They often go up here and evidently it's a good place for insects and larvae, probably because of an accumulation of bird droppings.
Later she returned to her usual hunting ground on the south side of the lake.
Pigeon Eater's mate was on the Dell restaurant roof ...
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... watching him as he patrolled the edge looking for a chance.
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A Cormorant was searching for fish in fallen leaves in the shallow water at the edge of the lake, and looking under the pontoon being used for bridge repairs. They have already caught most of the fish of edible size, and it didn't find anything while I was watching.
Some of the six young Mute Swans on the Long Water were examining some submerged object. Anything that falls into the lake, whether it's a branch, a bicycle or just a plastic bag, gets covered with small water snails which the swans find palatable.
As I passed the Albert Memorial on my way home, the low sunlight shone on the gilded statues of the Virtues near the top of the spire.
There are supposed to be only seven Virtues: the Christian Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity; and the Cardinal Virtues of Fortitude, Prudence, Justice and Temperance. However, they needed eight for the sculptural scheme so they added Humility to the Christian ones, which are those inside the arches. The one in the middle of the picture is certainly Charity, and I think the one on the right of her must be Fortitude, as you would need that quality to read a book while holding a snake.
I was reminded of one of Alexander Pope's less brilliant couplets,
Thy virtues shine particularly nice,Unmixed with a propensity to vice.
This dubious compliment is from his Imitations of Horace, addressed to King George II in 1737 (Horace's original was in praise of the Emperor Augustus). It was George and his Queen Caroline who had Kensington Gardens improved in the 1720s and 30s first by Charles Bridgeman who created the Round Pond, Long Water and Serpentine, and then by William Kent who designed the Queen's Temple.
Re. Alexader Pope's couplet, not all can be winners. Aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus.
ReplyDeleteI'm really not good at iconography so I wouldn't know, but I'd expect that the symbols and emblems ought to be easily recognizable, unless there is some occult meaning to them.
Have you found that female Robins are quicker or more forward than males? I think in Great Tits females are much shier.
Tinúviel
Pope was so judicious in his choice of words that it's very unusual to find bathos unless he intended it. I think he must have nodded off while writing the obligatory poem of royal sycophancy.
DeleteAs for the attributes of the Virtues, I'm sure that all will be revealed when my friend John Cosgrove's enormous book on the Albert Memorial comes out. The text is now being edited and the whole thing is coming together at a good rate: may it continue.
Forgoty to say: it's very hard to tell the sex of Robins at most times of the year, unlike Great Tits which have distinctive markings.
DeleteThe Robin singing sounds so incredibly sweet, but what it's truly saying is "come into my bush and I'll kick your face in". Only the red Robin can pull off a facade of this magnitude.
ReplyDeleteSean