Saturday 25 March 2017

A particularly aggressive Mallard drake was beating up the others at Peter Pan.


When he had chased them all off, he joined the inevitable pursuit of a female.


The Feral Pigeons in the leaf yard were also in fighting mood.


A Goldcrest was leaping around the top of the yew tree above them.


One of the Starlings' nest holes in the small plane trees beside the boathouses has been stolen by a Rose-Ringed Parakeet.


The workmen who put up the net around the reed bed near the Lido have cut holes in it so that a nesting Coot can let its chicks out when they hatch. This is kind, but does rather spoil the purpose of the net, which is to keep birds from wrecking the reeds. It will at least keep out Mute Swans, which devastate large areas -- unless the swans can break down the net, which is quite likely.


The Mandarins on the Serpentine were also inside the net.


As you can see, there are no reeds in this part of the intended reed bed. Almost all of them died as soon as they were planted, on account of being bedded on some toxic sludge dredged up from the bottom of the lake, which has been accumulating urban filth since 1731. It looks as if the area will be replanted -- I hope so.

The Great Crested Grebes who built a nest on the Long Water under the willow tree by the bridge have abandoned the site and moved one tree to the north. This site has been successfully used before.


The young Egyptian Geese on the Serpentine have become very active, and were running up and down the edge. The family at the Lido have lost another, and are down to three.


Blondie has kept hers, but only by running to keep up with them and constantly calling.


The family on the Round Pond had taken to the water to escape a dog.


A Cormorant was fishing along the edge of the Serpentine, hunting under the concrete border where small fish lurk.


The female Little Owl near the Albert Memorial was in her usual hole basking in the sunshine, and the Mallards that were bothering her had gone away, at least for the moment.


The male owl near the leaf yard made a few brief appearances, but was troubled by the crows on a sunny Saturday. I didn't get a picture of him, and this fine shot is by Tom.


A fox was basking in the usual place on the east side of the Long Water just north of the Vista. This picture was taken from across the lake.

No comments:

Post a Comment