Tuesday 23 June 2015

The young Reed Warblers were climbing around on the reed stems near the Diana fountain while their parents whizzed out of the reed bed to the nearby trees and returned bringing them insects. The young birds are much less shy than their parents, and quite easy to see and photograph.


The foolish Egyptians on the Long Water have had another brood, of which three were alive this afternoon. They will almost certainly lose them all soon, as they have always done.


However, the sole survivor of their previous brood, saved by being adopted by better parents, is still living and was on the electric boat landing stage with its stepbrothers and -sisters.

The large geese are still moulting and unable to fly. These Canadas were trying to chase each other, but the best they could manage was an awkward flapping trundle across the surface.


The Great Crested Grebes on the Long Water have abandoned their recently built nest under a willow and have made another one a few yards to the north. Probably the one on the willow was not firmly enough attached to the thin, flexible twigs trailing in the water.



The female Little Owl was in the tree she has been using for the past few days. It is odd that she chooses exactly the same perch used by the male when he is there. Maybe there is some rivalry for a favoured spot.


The Hobbies were visible near the Speke obelisk, flying around the tops of the tall plane trees. They exchanged something small in the air, probably the male giving the female a dragonfly.


A Great Spotted Woodpecker didn't notice them and  flew into the tree where they were. Probably it saw the two hungry raptors quickly, because it flew away in a great hurry.


This male Black-Tailed Skimmer dragonfly was taking a rest while hunting small insects on the edge of the Serpentine.


There were several Blue-Tailed damselflies in the reed bed at the east end of the lake.


The blue colour on the sides of their body is iridescent, looking turquoise here but deep sapphire from an oblique angle.

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