The Grey Herons in the nest at the west end of the island were back together and one of them was sitting, a hopeful sign.
A heron stood in the top of a holly tree at the southwest corner of the bridge. When not fishing or hunting rats they like to have a high vantage point to survey the scene.
The dominant Black-Headed Gull at the landing stage also likes a high lookout point on the head of the Big Bird statue.
But the next dominant gull along the shore, Blue 2331 east of the Lido, had come down from his usual post to look for food along the shore.
Pigeon Eater was stretching his ferocious beak. A big gull can pick up a tennis ball, and young gulls sometimes use these as toys.
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There are plenty of worms in the muddy ruins of the Parade Ground. Starlings ranged around searching for them while a Lesser Black-Backed Gull did the worm dance to bring them up.
The solitary Moorhen in the Dell has a favourite rock in the stream where it likes to stand and preen. It's still alone two years after it lost its mate to a fox. There have been occasional flirations with other Moorhens, but none of them has taken.
A Great Crested Grebe, one of the pair on the Long Water, was fishing under the willow by the bridge.
The floating basket on the other side of the bridge is supposed to be for Mute Swans to nest in, but so far none has shown any interest in it. Today it was occupied by a pair of Egyptian Geese, with a pair of Canadas wondering whether to chase them out and take it over. (I've turned the volume down -- all you can hear in this part of the park is the pestilential noise of the non-stop Iranian royalist demonstration outside the embassy.)
The basket east of the Lido is more popular, as it's in a secluded place screened from the path by bushes and reeds. But whenever I see a swan in it, it's a different one. Today it was 4HQE, a couple of days ago it was the pair 4GIS and 4HDE. When the swans get serious about nesting there's going to be a fight, and it's possible that the boss swan will prevent any of the others from nesting in any of the baskets.
A pair were courting in the water nearby.
The Black Swan was so intent on the chase that he didn't come over for his usual treat of sunflower hearts.
The tits in the Rose Garden crowded into a hawthorn as they waited to take pine nuts.
The Coal Tits at the southwest corner of the bridge remain shy and are difficult to feed, but they usually succeed with both of us trying.
The usual Robin here collected a good ration.
So did the male Robin at Mount Gate.
The female appeared in a bush holding a berry, but quickly dropped it and came out for her share.
A pair of Rose-Ringed Parakeets were taking an unwise interest in the Little Owls' hole near the Queen's Temple. I didn't see an owl, but as I left they both flew away suddenly, and probably it had come up to chase them away.
It'd suit them fine if the Little Owl were to come out, claw-first.
ReplyDeleteThe Black Swan must be truly enamoured to forgo sunflower hearts. Anyway love eliminates the feeling of hunger, Greeks said.
Any chance the persistent Iranian loyalists will tire one of these days? I'd say the embassy must be used to it by now.
Tinúviel
Wish I'd waited for another minute to see if it was the owl that had sent the parakeets off, though I doubt I'd have got much of a picture as this one was taken with some difficulty directly into the sun.
DeleteThe Black Swan, like all swans, is completely insane. Other birds are practical and sensible, but swans are ruled by passion and do not reason. Look at the boss swan, unable to conceive the idea of flying over the bridge to meet his mate.
The Iranian protest has been going on for literally years and it isn't going to stop till the mullahs are ousted, which they probably won't be as things look now. The only development is that they are getting more and more noisy, and have deployed the kind of amplifiers and speakers normally only seen at pop concerts. Probably the embassy is empty and all the staff are at home conversing on Zoom.
Great capture of the Lesser Black-back worm-dancing. One further wonders how they and Herring Gulls can co-exist so much as breeding species, rather than one out-competing the other, considering their shared opportunism.
ReplyDeleteTo me the solitary Moorhen is a sadder case than the Black Swan. At least the odds should be on a Moorhen's side in the area.
To think that whereas a Little Owl can trump a Rose-ringed Parakeet, Kestrels routinely parasitise Barn Owls for vole prey. All in the claws, I suppose.
Plenty of Redwings about in the Hampstead Heath area, though seemingly still very much in berry mode. Also Blackbirds and Mistle Thrushes, probably mostly as migrants, but a good deal of singing from all three, dull days included. Jim
The number of Lesser Black-Backs seems to be rising slowly, despite the breeding colony of Herring Gulls in Paddington. I have no idea why.
DeleteThe chief competitor of Little Owls in the park seems to be Stock doves, which have no armament but somehow manage to usurp their holes, perhaps through sheer persistence.
Encouraging that the Redwings have reached Hampstead I think we'll see some on the Parade Ground soon. I haven't seen a Mistle Thrush for months. We seem to have lost all our usual permanent residents.
Yesterday evening I spotted a Tawny Owl in the park near the Italian Gardens which was very surprising though unfortunately I didnt manage to get a photo. Any news of Redwings yet?
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I've never heard of a Tawny Owl very near the Italian Garden, though some years ago they were heard in the tall sweet chestnut trees just to the west side the path leading from the Italian Garden to Queen's Gate -- that is, about 70 yards from the garden.
DeleteNo sign of Redwings here yet, though there seems to be a fair number in various parts of London.
Thank you so much for your wonderful blog—it’s been really helpful! I came across it while searching for birdwatching spots in London. I’ll be visiting the city from 2–6 February and will have one free afternoon (about 2–3 hours).
ReplyDeleteI’d be truly grateful if you could suggest a recommended walk path or any special spot that you think I shouldn’t miss. Since I’m from Thailand, most of the birds in London would be new and exciting for me to see. My favorite is the owl, though I understand they’re quite difficult to spot during the daytime.
Thank you again for sharing your knowledge, and I’d really appreciate any guidance you could offer!
With three hours to spare, I think the walk where you would be likely to see most would be starting at Palace Gate -- see the bottom left corner of this map --
Deletehttps://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/kensington-gardens/map
-- and go along the South Flower Walk until you are behind the Albert Memorial (oddly not named on the map but it's the big square at bottom centre). Then turn left and take the diagonal path to the near corner of the Serpentine Bridge. Don't cross the bridge: turn left and walk up the side of the lake. At the end, turn right and return along the other side of the lake. When you get back to the bridge, go through the small tunnel into Hyde Park -- map here --
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/hyde-park/map
Carry on along the edge of the lake past the island and to the end of the lake. If you have time, keep straight on and visit the Rose Garden. Then return along the south shore of the lake until you get back to the bridge.
I'd advise you to print these two maps. The nearest Underground stations to Palace Gate are High Street Kensington on the Circle Line and, slightly farther away, Gloucester Road on the Circle and Piccadilly Lines. For these, use Google Maps.
The Little Owls are hard to see at the moment, but keep an eye on the blog for news. If there's a recent sighting you can email me and I'll give the location, but I don't publish exact details on the blog itself.
Thanks a lot Ralph for your recommendation, I wish I could have more time to spend there ! will keep checking your blog :)
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