The contorted twigs of the corkscrew hazel bush in the Dell provide protection and a comfortable perch for small birds. A Coal Tit, a Blue Tit and a Robin arrived to take food from the railings.
The Coal Tits in the Rose Garden ...
... and at the southwest corner of the bridge also appeared. You do generally see them in pairs.
The usual Robin was also here, bullying the tits.
The male Robin at Mount Gate was singing in his favourite dogwood bush ...
... while his mate came out on the path to request pine nuts.
Long-Tailed Tits whizzed about in the trees at the northwest corner of the bridge.
The Song Thrush at the Diana fountain has been remarkably vocal for some time. They do sing in winter, but seldom so much.
The Jackdaws which used to line up for peanuts all along, as they continued coming do the north shore of the Serpentine have moved. It wasn't the disturbance from the Wasteland that shifted them, as they continued flying down (and the Wasteland has now closed, thank goodness). But the flock does seem to like shifting ground from time to time. I only saw one, near the Italian Garden.
A Magpie was waiting on the other side of the path.
The female Pied Wagtail was hunting at Fisherman's Keep.
Herring Gulls are too heavy to perch on the plastic buoys at the Lido and make them tip over, but it amuses them to try.
Pigeon Eater cruised along the shore looking for an inattentive victim.
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The dominant Black-Headed Gull at the landing stage struck a threatening attitude.
The six teenage Mute Swans were at the new reed bed, a place they seem to have adopted.
But there is worrying news about their mother. She was picked up this morning in a very weak condition, though uninjured, and is being looked after by the bird rescue group.
Later: very sorry to hear that she has died. The cause is unknown.
The lone teenager was by the Dell restuarant with both parents.
A Canada Goose examined one of the new nesting baskets. So far the swans and geese seem to be suspicious of these devices. I saw an Egyptian on one once, and a Grey Heron used the other as a fishing station for a while, but there has been no move to occupy them even as a temporrary resting place.
Hello Ralph,
ReplyDeletesadly she died later today. I picked her up this morning and she looked beyond saving. She was with a rescuer in a warm car very quickly. As fast as we could act, nothing more could have been done. All other birds on the lake are fine.
Jenna
Such sad news. Thank you for trying to help her
DeleteHow very sad. Her mate will be miserable. Hope it doesn't make him go on a rampage, and also that when he has recovered he finds a new mate. Bereaved swans that don't die of misery -- which they sometimes do -- often bounce back quite soon, and he is a strong character.
DeleteYou're a guardian angel, Jenna. Thank you.
DeleteOh God, no! What's going to become of the cygnets, and the bereaved mate?
ReplyDeleteTinúviel
At least the young swans are quite old enough to look after themselves. They're already swaggering about the lake in a gang, As for their father, we have seen swans lose mates and find new ones often enough. And, as the boss swan on the lake, he can have his pick of the many available females.
DeleteSo sorry to hear about the mother swan! It was rather sudden and unexpected, wasn't it? Thanks to Jenna for trying to save her. So sad!
DeleteI had seen her two days before, perfectly all right. So it really was sudden.
Delete