Relay, Moorhen style

Today, I had to run an errand and thought I'd make a detour to check on the Moorhens in their tyre. I'd checked on them on Saturday morning and they were still there, patiently incubating their eggs. Tide was very high, the highest I've seen for a while, but the tyre was still above water, indicating that, in this respect at least, their choice is not as loony as it may seems. One was on the nest and the other one was busy collecting extra nesting material. When I arrived, it was blades of grass, but you can see that they can get creative with man-made material:










This was hard work! :)

There was a lot of such man-made material on the river, some of it collecting in the usual spot by Hammersmith Bridge. There, making the most of the flotsam, were a Pied Wagtail with 3 young, and very briefly a Grey Wagtail with one young. Further, by Crabtree Wharf, I could hear the sparrows from quite a distance. I'd only ever seen a max of 3 there, but, this time, there were at least 5 young as well, which was good to see, though it would be better and easier if they were not hiding so much.

On the falcons front, it's been quiet today as far as I have been able to observe. A peregrine present early in the morning and a kestrel later. In fact, there was more activity from the crows and the pigeons...