A Spanish Magpie

Readers continue to send in pictures. Grateful thanks to all who are helping me as I am off my feet.

One from today, but not here. Tinúviel took this picture of an Iberian Magpie, Cyanopica cooki, from her window in Cáceres in western Spain. It's odd that in Britain there is only one species of Magpie and one of Jay, while other regions are quite well provided with both.

Not in the park, but at least in the London area, David Element took these two stunning shots of a Kingfisher emerging from the water with a fish ...

... and perched on a twig after catching two.

Mario was looking for mushrooms in Kensington Gardens yesterday, while the weather was still reasonable. He sent a general shot of the view down the lake from the north end. What a lovely place the Italian Garden is; it's so familiar that I often forget to appreciate it. I think that Albert, a man of great taste, would have been horrified by his Memorial and I can imagine him having words with his dear wife when they finally met again in 1901.

Mario's efforts were rewarded by finding a large troop of the wonderfully named Scurfy Twiglet, Tubaria furfuracea, in wood chips under a chestnut tree beside the leaf yard. 'Troop' is the correct term for a stand of mushrooms, and these really do look like a little fungal army about to invade the territory of a rival species (though of course the actual combat takes place underground).

He saw 14 Cormorants on the Long Water, still a good number despite the fish being mostly eaten. These were at Peter Pan,

This is his picture of the Little Grebe shadowing the Gadwalls as usual.

The scrubby land along the north side of the park west of the Long Water is fine for fungi, and is also the home of many Great Tits which are quickly learning to come out and be fed. I think I recognise the background and that this bird is one of my regular customers. They will miss the pine nuts I bring them.

Joan Chatterley has been keeping up the feeding in the Flower Walk, and was delighted to find not just Great Tits but also Blue and Coal Tits coming to her hand, The shyer species have become bolder since the cold spell.

The Robin was staying on the fence, but I'm sure it will come in time.

Today in the Italian Garden

Three pictures from today, all by Ahmet Amerikali to whom thanks, and all taken at the Italian Garden.

A Cormorant caught a perch in one of the fountain pools. I'm amazed they're still finding fish here, but Paul explained that perch are good at hiding in algae.

The Little Grebe is still shadowing the Gadwalls.

Three Mallards flew over, the drakes vying for the attention of the female.

Last, a picture by me from a few days ago: the female Little Owl at the Speke obelisk. Included because owls are necessary.

As I said yesterday, all contributions will be gratefully received. Pictures don't have to be from the park, and don't have to be recent as long as they are interesting. Minimum size 1600 pixels wide, 1200 high, please.

Keeping going

Dear Readers

Thank you all for your good wishes. I'm out of hospital but it will be several weeks before I am functioning anything like normally again. I have a broken vertebra and head injuries which have made me slow and vague, and typing anything takes ages.

I will try to keep the blog going, maybe not daily, with any pictures you send in. Please if possible make them 1600 pixels wide by 1200 high to save editing, which is difficult. And also please forgive me for not acknowledging them.

Thanks.

A Green Woodpecker near the Speke obelisk, photographed by Petri Vianio.

A Stone-Curlew family in Australia, by Ai Ching Lim.

A tiresome event

 As Emperor Hirohito remarked, events have not necessarily been to my advantage. Last night my bike went into a pothole and I flew over the handlebars and landed on my face, and I am in hospital. I will be OK but won't be able to do much of a blog for several weeks. 

Song Thrushes

As the morning drizzle cleared up two Song Thrushes started singing at each other between the Speke obelisk and the leaf yard.

A Mistle Thrush could be seen on the grass near the Serpentine Gallery. Note the different shape of the spots.

There were Redwings in the trees on the Hyde Park side of the West Carriage Drive (that's the road that separates Hyde Park from Kensington Gardens).

A Robin in the Rose Garden was singing at maximum volume to be heard over the din from the Wasteland. The funfair closes at the end of this week, but it will be at least another fortnight before the huge shanty town is cleared up and we and the Robins can have a bit of peace.

The Blue Tit in the brambles on the west side of the leaf yard is now a regular customer for pine nuts.

I hadn't seen any Jackdaws around here for several days and was beginning to get a bit worried about them, but a fair number came back today. There are two pairs with nest holes in an oak at the southwest corner of the leaf yard, and I'm sure these aren't the only nest sites.

The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull walked through a crowd of pigeons looking for a chance. The pigeons know they can get away if they keep at a safe distance, as they can take off faster than he can.

The aggressive Black-Headed Gull at the Diana fountain landing stage was keeping an eye on his property from the top of the Big Bird statue.

The Cormorants have by no means given up, and there were about ten on the Long Water and three on posts at the Serpentine island.

The Little Grebe in the Italian Garden has found a new place to lurk, on the side of the planter away from the humans pointing cameras at it. But you can still get a reasonable view with a long lens.

It came out and started fishing near a pair of Mallards, but it has to keep farther away from these bad-tempered ducks than it does from the peaceful Gadwalls.

A Tufted drake turned over to preen his shining white belly.

An intruding Mute Swan splashed down on the Long Water, and there were several more on the gravel strip. More work for the dominant pair, but all they have to do is turn up and look menacing and the invaders leave without a fight.

Great Black-Backed Gull

A Blue Tit looked for insect larvae in the bark of a twig.

The Grey Heron pair have resumed their on-and-off nesting. One was up on the nest, none too visible through the twigs, while the other stalked along the wire baskets around the island.

Duncan Campbell found a Great Black-Backed Gull on a post at Peter Pan. These vast creatures, which may have a wingspan of 5 ft 6 in, are infrequent visitors to the park and I haven't seen one for over a year. Note its extremely heavy bill and pinkish-grey legs.

He thoughtfully added a picture of a Lesser Black-Back in the same place. The two pictures are roughly to scale: note the width of the wooden post.

A Moorhen wandered through the grass on the edge of the Long Water.

A younger one had found some yellow roses someone had thrown into the lake and was prodding them to see if they contained anything edible.

The Little Grebe was in its usual pool ...

... where it had been rejoined by the Gadwalls and by the new pair of Mute Swans.

In one of the other pools, Ahmet Amerikali photographed a Cormorant which had caught a large fish which had survived the Cormorants' intensive fishing in the autumn and probably thought it was safe now.

With the dominant Mute Swans in the Italian Garden, some other swans had taken the opportunity to come on to the Long Water and a pair were courting at the Vista. They will soon be chased away.

The Black Swan mooched around in evening light on the Round Pond.

Another fine picture by Duncan of two Canada Geese taking off from the Long Water.

There were a lot of Egyptian Geese at the east end of the Serpentine, taking advantage of the visitors to the Wasteland. Numbers on the lake are quite variable so they must fly in and out, but you seldom see them flying. Probably they move at night.

Ahmet got a dramatic shot of a Gadwall in flight.

Incautious visitors regretted walking under this tree.

The Albert Memorial seen through trees at sunset. The ornamental figures progress upwards in order of rank, and the top three layers are virtues, angels and archangels.

A New Year owl

A very happy New Year to everyone. The male Little Owl by the Speke obelisk perched in front of his hole to mark the occasion.

A Blue Tit here has started coming out of the brambles to be fed on the ground. It's seen the four Great Tits getting fed every time I come to look for the owl.

The pair of Chaffinches in the Flower Walk are now following me most of the way to the Round Pond. This look from the female means 'Will you stop pointing that thing at me and produce a pine nut?'

The Robin at the Henry Moore sculpture was in a better mood and came out to be fed.

The male Blackbird in the Dell also accepted some raisins, of which Blackbirds are particularly fond.

A Pied Wagtail on the edge of the Serpentine hunted among fallen leaves and rubbish.

The Black-Headed Gull at the landing stage uttered menacing cries at some gulls that were coming too near his territory.

The new turf laid in the Diana fountain enclosure is being pulled up (and not put back because the gardeners are not allowed any initiative and only do things on orders from the central office). I thought this was the work of Carrion Crows, which often turn over turf to look for worms, but it turns out to be Herring Gulls. Probably they get more worms this way than by doing their dance.

The female Peregrine arrived on the barracks during the morning.

Cormorants, though, were leaving. There were a dozen on the Long Water in the morning but half of these soon flew off to find somewhere better.

There are still fish to be had. Ahmet Amerikali got a picture of one with a fair-sized perch under the Italian Garden. But the Cormorants now have to work hard to find anything worthwhile.

The Little Grebe in the Italian Garden has finally annoyed the Gadwalls so much that they have gone down to the main lake. It was lurking in the irises.

A pair of Mandarins preened on the edge of the Serpentine. They are never more than occasional visitors, having discovered that attempts to breed in the park are hopeless because of the hungry gulls.

A pair of Canada Geese washed and flapped together at the Lido. Synchronised washing is a way of expressing their relationship.

Just me and you and Pikachu.