Friday 2 December 2016

There are still quite a few Cormorants on the lake, though the number is falling as fish become scarcer. They were fishing near the bridge. This one made a tremendous leap out of the water on to a post, falling off once and trying again successfully.


Some Mute Swans came hastily under the bridge from the Long Water, as the dominant male cruised up behind with wings raised in threat.


A small group of Red-Crested Pochards were dozing next to the island.


A pair of Great Crested Grebes were alternately fishing and saluting each other on the Serpentine.


One of them caught a fish.


A Moorhen climbed to the top of a reed raft at the east end of the lake.


Whatever these shaggy plants are, they are quite stiff. A Grey Heron, which weighs about 3 lb, can stand on them too.

The usual Lesser Black-Backed Gull was enjoying a early lunch of a late pigeon.


A Black-Headed Gull was struggling with a less appetising meal, a piece of sliced bread that was so stale that it was completely rigid.


A Wood Pigeon was bathing in the little pool at the top of the Dell waterfall.


A Song Thrush visited the rowan tree on Buck Hill ...


... joining the more usual Mistle Thrushes ...


... and a solitary Ring-Necked Parakeet.


The female Little Owl at the Albert Memorial had come out on to a branch of the oak tree.

2 comments:

  1. I didn't know that Cormorants were so great high jump athletes.

    The Great Crested Grebes pair appears to wish to form a heart shape with ther necks and heads. Very pretty, and no less meaningful.

    The picture with the swans high-tailing it out of the dominant swan's turf looks like something out of a battleship movie!

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    1. The Cormorants really have quite a hard time getting on to the posts. When jumping up from the water, they fall off more than they succeed. And they are even worse at flying on to a post. I am not sure how they manage with the tall posts along the river, but at least these are bigger and easier to land on.

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