tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post984880652119855370..comments2024-03-29T01:41:15.713+00:00Comments on Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park birds: Ralph Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-90444027456537739692021-06-11T07:16:10.698+01:002021-06-11T07:16:10.698+01:00Thanks. I will keep an eye on these plants, of whi...Thanks. I will keep an eye on these plants, of which there are several patches.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-13770279776361839702021-06-11T07:08:27.799+01:002021-06-11T07:08:27.799+01:00One of the bees to look for on the Stachys is the ...One of the bees to look for on the Stachys is the Wool Carder Bees- a very distinctive, chunky solitary bee, which can be quite aggressive to other insects, which collects the hairs from the leaves for their nests.Conehead54https://www.blogger.com/profile/18423862602236191493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-620623827618405192021-06-10T18:44:47.974+01:002021-06-10T18:44:47.974+01:00I managed to get a picture of a female Black-Taile...I managed to get a picture of a female Black-Tailed Skimmer today -- had seen one yesterday but it was distant and wouldn't stop. Odd, because I haven't seen any males yet and usually they are the commonest dragonfly in the park.<br /><br />It's remarkable how attractive the very small flowers of Stachys are to bumblebees. The flowers in the Rose Garden are only half out, but already they're exerting their effect.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-43317945157357090912021-06-10T05:57:16.911+01:002021-06-10T05:57:16.911+01:00Good to see the Emperor- first record I've bee...Good to see the Emperor- first record I've been aware of in London this year. The most majestic of dragonflies that always gets the attention of passers by-even those that wouldn't normally give an insect a second look!<br /><br />A site I worked at on Monday has a mass of the Stachys which like yours was swarming with Buff-tailed Bumblebees.<br /><br />Greaat to see Goldcrests have fledged young.Conehead54https://www.blogger.com/profile/18423862602236191493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-64773556815709085532021-06-10T00:10:51.040+01:002021-06-10T00:10:51.040+01:00Yes, impossible to tell. But it's moving aroun...Yes, impossible to tell. But it's moving around briskly enough. I'd say that, with the state of the fish supply as it is, its chance of survival is still about 50/50.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-27932517397009522842021-06-10T00:06:49.722+01:002021-06-10T00:06:49.722+01:00The chick isn't looking malnourished, is it? I...The chick isn't looking malnourished, is it? It's hard to tell with all the down and feathers. Does it look energetic?<br /><br />I wonder if there is any creature that would stare a Coot down.TinĂºvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794275230697959519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-4787028824182384192021-06-09T23:51:09.711+01:002021-06-09T23:51:09.711+01:00Good to know that Lesser Black-Backs are really ne...Good to know that Lesser Black-Backs are really nesting in central London. With Herring Gulls it's obvious, but these are fewer and their urban habits still mysterious.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-85715767875286915802021-06-09T23:21:56.911+01:002021-06-09T23:21:56.911+01:00Pleased to report that the LBBG pair from last yea...Pleased to report that the LBBG pair from last year have been nesting on the chimneys above my flat again, and today I've had a first glimpse of one chick. Hope they don't have run-ins with the magpie couple in the neighbouring tree again, which did for the gull chicks last year. Ulrikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06022985141813875238noreply@blogger.com