The Canada Geese nesting on the island in the Long Water have at least four goslings. They're very hard to see among the plants, but I managed to get a mediocre picture by looking through the bushes on the other side of the lake.
The pair of Egyptians in the Rose Garden had a brisk wash in the basin under the Huntress fountain.
The Black Swan's Mute mate 4GIQ was sitting on her eggs each time I went past, so I couldn't see how many she has now. The Coots who had the nesting basket before she arrived are indignant at the intrusion, especially as she has been pulling twigs of their nest to put on her own, but there's nothing they can do.
The Black Swan has been mostly staying a short way along the shore but visits her occasionally.
The Coots nesting in the perpetually unsuccessful place on a post at the Peter Pan waterfront had two chicks, probably not for long as there are Herring Gulls on the posts and these chicks are likely to be the only survivors of a larger brood.
A Cormorant stood on a post next to a pair of Pied Wagtails which had come to hunt midges.
The large Coot nest at the bridge proved to have infertile eggs, which the Coots have now pushed out and have laid more. The nest was visited by a Great Crested Grebe, fishing around it and quite likely stealing twigs under water ...
... for its own nest under the willow on the other side of the bridge.
The perilously sited grebe nest on the chain at the island is still in place.
A Grey Heron was sitting in a nest at the west end of the island. This place has seen only sporadic activity this year, unlike last year when there were two nests and one of them produced two broods. But the pair may finally be getting going.
The two young herons from the first nest were fishing near the bridge, which is a productive place for all fishing birds. It looks as if they have successfully got through the hungry time after first becoming independent, and are building up their skill and local knowledge.
A heron at the Lido restaurant terrace peered appealingly over the planters at the edge, hoping to be given a snack.
A female Dunnock foraging in the woodland beside the Long Water got a green caterpillar. You can hear her mate singing at 7 seconds in, between bursts of Chiffchaff song.
A Blue Tit looked out from pink hawthorn blossom near Temple Gate.
The male Robin at Mount Gate was dwarfed by a Wood Pigeon eager to grab any pine nuts I put on the ground for it. Only the unattached Robin here will come to my hand, but perhaps the pair will copy it and have a much easier time.
Ahmet Amerikali got good pictures of a Blackcap bringing a bit of grass to a nest behind the Queen's Temple ...
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... and a Reed Warbler east of the Lido.
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This bee on the corkscrew hazel in the Dell is clearly an Andrena mining bee, but I'm not sure its colour is bright enough for a Tawny Mining Bee, A, fulva.
Hm. That Grebe should consider outsourcing nest-building to the true specialists rather than stealing twigs from them. Perhaps the Coots would agree to build it a nest for the low price of a couple of small fishes. God knows their building mania knows no bounds, so may as well channel it for a good cause.
ReplyDeleteI hope the Canadas will have a good year - I may not remember clearly, but I think last season wasn't very good for them.
Tinúviel
The grebe nest on the chain did start as a Coot nest, though the Coots abandoned it voluntarily for some reason rather than being forced off it as sometimes happens. When a grebe takes over a Coot nest it's generally stripped most of the way down to water level and plastered with algae to give the required sloppy mess, but the strong Coot-built foundations remain.
DeleteNo Canadas of Greylags at all succeeded in raising goslings in the park last year because of the Herring Gulls. Several pairs bred outside and brought in their young when they could fly. Jenna thinks there's another Canada nest on the Serpentine island. Not hopeful about that, but the ones on the Long Water have a chance if they can avoid the pike.