tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post1597193930137700861..comments2024-03-27T19:59:10.159+00:00Comments on Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park birds: Pigeon-killing Herring GullRalph Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-18193107290841441612022-06-10T06:59:33.811+01:002022-06-10T06:59:33.811+01:00Well, Coots have no intentions beyond food, sex, n...Well, Coots have no intentions beyond food, sex, nest, nest building, and nurturing their young, and indeed it's hard to say how far any of these actually surface as conscious ideas in their little brains. Swans are a bit brighter but again it is mostly a matter of instinctive drives. Yes, they love bright and glittery rubbish, but this has been available only for a few decades and it's hard to estimate what role it has had in their evolution over this short time. Probably there is a small but perfectly formed PhD thesis waiting to be written on the matter (but not by me).Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-45832100527800058152022-06-10T00:21:33.778+01:002022-06-10T00:21:33.778+01:00My first guess is that the nest ornamentation has ...My first guess is that the nest ornamentation has the goal of camouflage, or provides some such benefit. It seems some swans do it too with bright litter. It would be interesting to compare the success of adorned and unadorned nests. Coots will also use certain flowers; do these have an anti-parasitic benefit and could that also or alternatively be the reason behind the behaviour? JimAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-5079091344678585222022-06-08T23:24:10.204+01:002022-06-08T23:24:10.204+01:00Perhaps the sound of the Alien was based on an unf...Perhaps the sound of the Alien was based on an unfortunate encounter the film producer had had with a swan.<br /><br />I have observed, if not exactly studied, Coot nest ornamentation. They like bright colours, with red the favourite, and metallic sheen such as you get with the aluminium-coated PVC film used for many snack packets. The most amazing example of the latter that I have ever seen was a Coot on the Grand Union Canal which had found a fallen, but still partly inflated, silver helium balloon and was trying to add it to the nest. It didn't get very far as the balloon kept blowing away. But, being a Coot, it went on and on trying.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-79341261696062967042022-06-08T23:18:31.788+01:002022-06-08T23:18:31.788+01:00Thanks for the information. Of course I suspected ...Thanks for the information. Of course I suspected a Harlequin, but didn't know whether the dots on the pupa were in the same place as they would be in the emerging insect.<br /><br />Yes, the swan's beak opened just as it made that call. The video editing software I use is good at keeping the sound in sync with the image (some applications aren't). It's a pity that YouTube's buffering always messes up the first 15 seconds of any video, though the degradation is much less severe now that I have switched to 4K video -- indeed, that was my only reason for doing so, to the detriment of YT who now have to store much larger files.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-62227608574671083882022-06-08T23:13:08.592+01:002022-06-08T23:13:08.592+01:00I've always believed that if you close your ey...I've always believed that if you close your eyes hissing swans sound like Alien!<br />I wish Coots were a more popular study subject among biologists. Their penchant for decoration would merit study, no kidding.<br />TinĂºvielAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-1666766804688595522022-06-08T22:42:29.380+01:002022-06-08T22:42:29.380+01:00The ladybird pupa is a Harlequin, they are variabl...The ladybird pupa is a Harlequin, they are variable like the adults. The smaller insect is some kind of aphid, which looks like it has a drink ready for any passing ant. There is a Nettle Aphid as such, which varies in colour and can be that exact tone. <br /><br />Did the swan make the single yelp as its beak opens? Not a sound I would have associated with them. JimAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com