Wednesday 31 July 2013

The Moorhens on the pond in the Italian Garden have produced another brood of five. These mingled quite amicably with the three older juveniles, though the latter were pushed gently aside if they got in the way of feeding the new chicks.


The Mallard family had also moved on to this pond -- it is the northwest one of the four -- and they too were swimming around among the Moorhens without either family getting excited. What a contrast with the noisy aggressiveness of the Coots at Peter Pan, which beat up any bird, large or small, that comes near their nest.

Trees all over the park are loud with the cries of young Great Tits begging to be fed. Here one of them is quietened for a few seconds with a bit of pine nut.


You are not supposed to give chopped nuts to young songbirds because the sharp edges can harm them. But pine nuts are quite soft, and the parent birds easily break off small pieces and give them to their young without ill effects.

There were also some young Blue Tits in a tree in the Dell, but they didn't come within range.

The Great Crested Grebes' nest in the willow tree opposite Peter Pan has failed. These birds are really having a bad year, but they keep trying. There is another nest going up on the same side of the Long Water, a bit to the north, and too far away for a good picture so this one will have to do.


The nest on the northeast corner of the Serpentine Island is still a going concern, and I got a few tantalising glimpses of it through the gap in the floating baskets.

This Carrion Crow, one of the family I photographed on Monday, was enjoying a shower in the Italian Garden.


I heard one of the Hobbies over Buck Hill, but it didn't come into view over the trees. This morning a Red Kite was seen in Fulham (reported in the London Bird Club Wiki). There have already been two sightings of these birds in the park this year, and it seems likely that we shall see more of them soon as they spread into London from the northwest.

2 comments:

  1. Very clever Great Tit feeding photo.

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    1. Thanks, but it was pure chance. I was trying to get a clear shot of the young one when the parent erupted into the top of the picture.

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