Saturday 18 February 2017

The Long-Tailed Tits have started building their nests, a long job as the birds are small and the nests are large and complex -- spheres made of spider's webs, moss and feathers. This one has gathered some webs. It will wipe the bundle across the surface of the nest, drawing out the strands to make a strong binding.


A pair of Goldcrests were jumping around in the trees near the bridge. They usually nest here.


A Wren came out of the bushes near the Triangle car park and posed obligingly for the camera.


The Kingfisher was on his favourite branch near the Italian Garden.


The workmen laying turf on the Parade Ground have moved up the hill, and the Redwings have returned. They were on a patch of bare earth under a tree to the west of the bandstand.


The mild weather brought people out on to the terrace of the Lido restaurant, and Starlings were waiting on the fence for some of them to leave so that they could grab their leftovers.


In the lowest of the Grey Herons' nests on the island, one of the birds was sitting, invisible until its mate arrived, when its stood up ...


... and flew off to gather some more twigs for the nest.


Herons take turns to incubate their eggs, so you can't tell which is the male and which the female.

Great Crested Grebes also take turns on the nest. But here is the pair at the island going out fishing together, so it looks as if they haven't started sitting.


One of the Coots in the oddly placed nest on the wire baskets near the bridge glared indignantly at a Cormorant which had come much too close to the nest.


Surprisingly, the incompetent Egyptian Geese at the Henry Moore sculpture still have their last chick. It's unusual for one of their broods to survive for more than two days.


Another pair of Egyptians flew over the Serpentine, displaying their conspicuous white wing patches.


A Mute Swan washing at the Lido seemed to be dancing the cancan.

5 comments:

  1. Further to Thursday's discussion of the genetics of plain headed Egyptian Geese, in the comments. Can we conclude that this surviving young Egyptian Goose is male? Jim

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    1. Well, it does seem to have early evidence of a standard eye patch. But, if I remember the rules correctly, half the females might not be pale-headed. In the unlikely event of the poor little creature surviving , we shall see. However, this pair have not brought up a single gosling in the 12 years I have been watching them, and the prospects don't look good.

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    2. Thinking about it again, if the defective gene is recessive and on the Z, females are ZW and males are ZZ then we don't have enough info to give odds. It would also imply that pale-headed males are possible and a pale-headed pair are mentioned here. Jim

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    3. Interesting to see that in 2007 Egyptian Geese were still considered worthy of mention on the London Bird Club Wiki. I think our first pair, the incompetent ones by the Henry Moore, arrived in 2005.

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    4. They are still being reported on the wiki today, though it seems to have become unfashionable lately. They are still creating interest establishing themselves in new locations. Jim

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