There is at least one more Great Crested Grebe chick on the Long Water. I was at Peter Pan and saw a pair in the distance on the far side of the lake, wondered what they were doing, and took a picture. And this is what it shows. These, the second pair to breed on the Long Water, had been several times near the reeds on the east side and they must have nested there out of sight.
This is one of the chicks from the next youngest set, from the north side of the Serpentine island.
The chicks from the east end of the island were taking a few minutes off pestering their parents to look after their feathers. Their wings are now fully grown but I haven't yet seen one trying to fly.
The Little Grebe chicks were hidden in the bushes on the east side of the Long Water, but one came out in the open for a short time and could be seen from the bridge.
The mob of Coots on the Long Water gets larger and larger.
There were at least 50 Cormorants on the Long Water alone.
Greylag Geese like apples, but it's hard to eat one in the water. This pair at the Lido restuarant were doing their best.
The Black Swan and 4GIQ were also on the edge of the terrace.
A Grey Heron looked for fish in the dark corner under the Dell restaurant balcony.
The male Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery was in the plane tree.
The Robin at the southwest corner of the bridge waited beside a clump of withered blackberries.
The female Coal Tit in the Dell appeared in the corkscrew hazel ...
... and a Blue Tit was in the big yew tree ...
... where a squirrel was eating the fruit.
The fox south of the Vista emerged from the undergrowth.
A Marmalade Fly ...
... and a Greenbottle browsed on ivy flowers at the back of the Lido.
For some years there has been a patch of mauve cyclamen behind the railings southeast of the Italian Garden, and it's gradually spreading. People think of cyclamen as a house plant but it does much better in the open air.
The Mute Swan has a rather cool unique tattoo! The shorter days are coming. Nice mug shot of the Squirrel. Nobody likes their picture taken when they are eating.
ReplyDeleteSean
I love that they have their secret lives. Even when we think or fear they may be having a bad year, there may be success and chicks we don't know anything about.
ReplyDeleteSeasonal pictures coming in strong already. Waiting for the berries, which always make for fetching backgrounds, and the small birds know how to work them to their advantage.
Tinúviel
Many of our berries and fruits come through early and are already over, for example rowan, pyracantha and most rose hips. We still have some, such as holly and yew. Any background available will be mercilessly exploited for the sake of a pretty picture.
DeleteThese Cyclamen will be C. hederifolium, a very hardy species & often naturalised. The seeds have elaiosomes which include a fatty substance. These attract ants which then attract ants which then help disperse the seeds. Other plants like violets also uses a similar mechanism for seed dispersal.
ReplyDeleteAnother very hardy Cyclamen often seen in gardens/parks in late winter/early spring is C. coum.
The flamboyant household plant is C. persicum, which isn't reliably hardy, though may survive in very sheltered situations. As you suggest it does prefer cooler conditions in the house & doesn't appreciate central heating.
I find the smaller wild species far more attractive.