Thursday 26 March 2015

This Long-Tailed Tit was on the north side of the Serpentine near the Triangle car park. While I was photographing it Paul Turner, who was with me, said that it was running its beak along the twigs. When I got home and looked at the pictures, it was clear that it was scraping cobwebs off them to use in its nest.


When it had gathered a good bunch it flew away.


A Carrion Crow was also gathering nesting material in the Diana memorial enclosure.


It seems to be dog hair, which is slightly odd as no dogs are allowed in the enclosure. It must have blown there. Many people comb woolly dogs in the park, unwittingly providing many kinds of bird with a comfortable nest lining.

A pair of Magpies were getting friendly.


They were just over the road from the allotment. On the near side of this road there are several old Magpie nests in the trees, large messy assemblies of twigs, and probably they will reuse one of them.

Here is a closer view of the white-speckled Blackbird I saw in the Flower Walk on the 22nd.  As usual with these birds, the pattern of white patches is more or less symmetrical side to side.


With the central path of the Flower Walk shut for alterations, the birds are now coming out on the north side when people pass to see if they will be fed. I gave this bird a modelling fee of a bit of digestive biscuit.

A Pied Wagtail was searching for insects between the thick green slates of one of the small boathouses.


The Scaup was at the Serpentine island.


Having missed seeing a Little Owl as I passed their chestnut tree the first time, I came back later just as the sun was coming out. The female owl came out to enjoy the warmth and, to my surprise, did not rush back into the hole. She took no notice of me at all, and soon closed her eyes and dozed off.


No one has seen anything of the Tawny Owls recently, but the male was heard hooting near the Physical Energy statue.

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