A Tufted Duck on the Serpentine has produced 8 ducklings. Sensibly, she was keeping them in the shelter of the boat hire platform. This is a dangerous place for ducklings, with roving Herring Gulls ready to swoop.
Next to them were the Mute Swan 4DVZ and her three cygnets ...
... and 4DTT was looking after her two under the Italian Garden.
The Great Crested Grebe on the nest opposite Peter Pan is holding on to it, though there were Coots around. One of the chicks was sitting next to the nest, but all was peaceful for the time being.
The Coot nesting on the raft at the Triangle seems to have given up the attempt.
Only one egg could be seen in the abandoned nest. Possibly Herring Gulls had taken the others. They can easily pick up a Coot's egg -- indeed they can hold a tennis ball in their beak.
Both adult Coots and their chicks enjoy skirting the fountains in the Italian Garden so that they are wetted by the spray.
The Moorhen chicks on the fallen tree at the Peter Pan waterfront are growing well.
A pair of Herring Gulls at the Triangle were maning affectionately at each other, but suddenly had a falling out. Afterwards all was forgiven and they went back to moaning.
The male Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery looked out from his usual lime tree.
The female owlet was in the chestnut, refusing to pose for her portrait.
The Great Tits are coming back from their summer seclusion, and the regular pair at the northest corner of the bridge ...
... and in the Dell came down for pine nuts. I also got a brief glimpse of one of the Coal Tits here, but no picture.
Plenty of butterflies were on show. Meadow Browns have been out for weeks, but are hard to photograph as they rest in the long grass. One came out on a knapweed flower at the back of the Lido.
A Green-Veined White fed on a field sowthistle near the Italian Garden.
A Brimstone was drinking in a wet patch at the edge of the Dell where a sprinkler was operating. There were no flowers, and apparently it was just drinking water.
Then it flew to an agapanthus and had a conventional drink of nectar.
There was also a bee here, and I'm not sure about it. The yellow bands at front and back of the thorax suggest a Garden Bumblebee, Bombus hortorum, but if it was you would expect the tip of its abdomen to be whiter.
I think it probably is a Bombus hortorum, Ralph, though I'm not 100% sure.
ReplyDeleteHowever, your Large White here is definitely a female Green-veined White.
The Brimstone will be recently emerged. I did get a visit from both a male & a female in my garden last week.
Thanks. I'm often misled by the absence of actual green veins, more a grey shading round the veins. There has been a noticeable re-emegence of Brimstones over the first few days after the early ones had gone.
DeleteThey're always a joy to see.
DeleteGlad to see that even such neurotic creatures as Coots are can still enjoy themselves. All they sometimes know how to do is build and fight.
ReplyDeleteAristotle missed a great opportunity to comment on the enmity of Grebes and Coots in his History of Animals. Glaring big hole in his research.
Tinúviel
I stronglt suspect that Aristotle would not have differentiated between a Great Crested Grebe, a Great Northern Diver, and a Merganser. He was ahead of his time, but it was a time of utter vagueness about details of form, and vaguely similar birds were lumped together. Or not even similar, as in the notorious example of στρουθός meaning a sparrow or an ostrich.
DeleteCould that be a male bumblebee?
ReplyDeleteDon't know. Female Garden Bumblebees do have pollen baskets, but these are covered in black hair and not as obvious as in some species. I had to look this up, and the topic is poorly covered on the pages I found.
DeleteI hope you don't mind but I uploaded your photo to inaturalist https://uk.inaturalist.org/observations/382207674 I will let you know when there is an id
DeleteThanks. Looking forward to hearing what it is.
ReplyDeleteIt has been identified as "Garden Bumble Bee
DeleteBombus hortorum
male, note long antennae" see here https://uk.inaturalist.org/observations/382207674 I thought it might have been but wasn't confident enough
Thank you. I'm seldom confident about anything. But I shall remember the long antennae.
Delete