tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post3177139775480983202..comments2024-03-19T01:38:12.447+00:00Comments on Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park birds: Ralph Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-17279599590259407812016-04-23T00:49:29.559+01:002016-04-23T00:49:29.559+01:00Well, yes, it would be a good idea, but you only s...Well, yes, it would be a good idea, but you only see the creature occasionally and heaven knows where it spends the rest of the time. However, we used to have three and now there is only one, and it won't last for ever. Let's hope that no one chucks in another one.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-82873373920031923792016-04-23T00:10:23.593+01:002016-04-23T00:10:23.593+01:00Ralph, maybe the park service should consider remo...Ralph, maybe the park service should consider removing the red slider from the lake. We, in California, find them over running our local lakes. Right now, the problem might still easily be stopped in the Long Water and Serpentine, perhaps. Or, maybe there is some other limiting factor that we don't have in California. They are assumed to be be released "pets" here too, unfortunately surviving just fine.Johanna van de Woestijnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16045404955308369929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-45291222078887250062016-04-22T20:45:04.898+01:002016-04-22T20:45:04.898+01:00It's very possible that there really was a rac...It's very possible that there really was a race, or at least a big family, of white Blackbirds on Mt Cyllene. Leucistic Blackbirds can be partly or completely white. They are only slightly less fit than normal ones; they are not albinos, because the genes for eye and skin colour are separate from those for feather colour. But white feathers are less strong than black ones and fray quicker, and these birds are also more visible to predators. If you search Google images for 'white blackbird' you will see lots of examples.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-85886928461050599892016-04-22T20:20:29.133+01:002016-04-22T20:20:29.133+01:00Oh wow, I had never seen such a colouring in a bla...Oh wow, I had never seen such a colouring in a blackbird before!<br />I wonder if sightings of albino Blackbirds might be the origin of Aristotle's notion about white Blackbirds in Mt. CylleneTinĂºvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794275230697959519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-66302053874085836362016-04-22T19:46:15.347+01:002016-04-22T19:46:15.347+01:00We've had Blackbirds here with more white on t...We've had Blackbirds here with more white on them. There's a picture <br /><a href="http://kensingtongardensandhydeparkbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-scaup-who-was-wild-and-rather-shy.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Before I started the blog there was a male with so much white that he looked like a little Magpie. The white patches are usually symmetrically arranged.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-34042504926255988652016-04-22T11:46:00.970+01:002016-04-22T11:46:00.970+01:00What lovely ruffled feathers the Black Swan has! Y...What lovely ruffled feathers the Black Swan has! You very happily compared it to a flamenco dancer's ruffled skirt, and I certainly agree.<br />Perhaps Aristotle's shadow would be happy to learn of the existence of (partially) white blackbirds!TinĂºvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794275230697959519noreply@blogger.com