The corkscrew hazel bush in the Dell was a busy scene. In addition to the usual Coal Tits ...
... and Blue Tits ...
... and the envious Robin trying to stop them getting at the food on the railings ...
... there was a Magpie ...
... and several Rose-Ringed Parakeets.
A Coal Tit at Temple Gate had an attractive background of berberis.
The male Robin at Mount Gate was singing in the forsythia bush ...
... and his mate was perched in the cockspur hazel tree.
Their peace was interrupted when another Robin appeared in the back of the bushes. The male flew towards it and it left at once.
Starlings were digging in the grass at the Diana fountain, bringing up leatherjackets. These are crane fly larvae, most destructive to plants.
This Jay at the Vista was looking sweetly appealing yesterday, but today it's just straight Gimme.
Pigeon Eater and his mate, on the right of the picture, called together to repel an intruder. It worked, and the intruder left without having to be shooed.
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A Grey Heron visited the top nest on the island, where the chicks could be heard clacking their beaks.
The herons in the west nest seem to spend a lot of their time standing up, which is slightly worrying as one of them ought to be sitting. But one of the herons was looking into the bottom of the nest. I can hardly believe that the eggs have hatched already, but I may have failed to notice a sitting bird earlier as it can only be seen from one place through branches. Anyway, we shall have to see.
The narrow stretch of water between the Serpentine island and the shore is usually a scene of territorial disputes between Great Crested Grebes wanting to claim a nest site on the island. This pair was cruising around making aggressive noises because there was a grebe at the other end.
The collective noun for a group of Coots is 'a raft', and you can see why when they gather in a crowd on the Long Water.
A pair of Mute Swans displayed at the Lido, with two envious onlookers.
The gravel strip in the Long Water has been partly cleared, so the dominant swan pair and other waterfowl have somewhere to sit.
Yes, the Jay is like "look pal, we both know what I'm here for so let's just get on with it".
ReplyDeleteI think I would leave the scene too with that racket going off in my ear!
It would be quite the sight to witness a massive brawl erupt with all the Coots together.
Sean
Nice to meet you today and thank you again for your hospitality. Hope I could come back next time in spring or summer !
ReplyDeleteGood to meet you too. I'm always happy to show people round the park. A shame, though, that it's a dull time of year.
DeleteAnd, by the way, the Starling I photographed had caught a 'leatherjacket' crane fly larva, not a 'wireworm' beetle larva which is much thinner. Probably the one you filmed had the same catch.
DeleteA raft of Coots. I just love it.
ReplyDeleteThe eternal duality of Jays: sweet and charming, and imperious and demanding.
I've been putting out food for birds in my neck of woods for a few days now. Ordinarily there is little need because our winters are mild, but it's been raining nonstop for a fortnight, with gale-force winds and hail almost daily, and the poor things are having a grisly time.
Tinúviel
I saw a map of the floods and was glad to see that at least you didn't have to put up with that. My sister in Dorset had her house flooded, the first time that has ever happened there.
DeleteLoved all the pictures and was tickled to see pigeon eater chortling with his mate to repel an intruder- what characters!
ReplyDeletePigeon Eater and his mate are doing the 'Great Call' aka 'Long Call' given by all the large Larus gulls, a loud and long assertion of identity.
Delete