London Plants and Animals
Posted by Carl from Chicago on May 31st, 2013 (All posts by Carl from Chicago)
The core of London always has been known for elaborate garden displays and open parks. However, we found these vibrant gardens in a small city square in Marylebone. May is a beautiful time to visit London as long as you don’t get rained on too much.
In Hyde Park they have a large amount of bird life that I’ve never seen before and the usual patrolling, angry swans. In this short vignette you can see a potential “Swans vs. Dachshund” battle averted as the little dogs beat a semi-hasty retreat.
They also had a beautiful grey heron perched on the rail of the bar facing Hyde Park. He had good colors which were a bit hard to make out from this iPhone photo at sunset.
The ducks geese were everywhere in the park, with a large variety of colors and sizes to choose from.
Cross posted at LITGM
May 31st, 2013 at 6:46 am
Ahem, that last picture is of geese. The Canada variety that seem to have overtaken the white European geese.
May 31st, 2013 at 7:49 am
Ha ha Dan pointed out the same thing too over at LITGM.
The internet apparently does my “fact checking”
May 31st, 2013 at 9:29 am
I should add that those geese make a terrible mess. Larger poop piles than you would think.
May 31st, 2013 at 9:48 am
Canadians are known to be fine and noble; not so their bloody geese.
May 31st, 2013 at 1:03 pm
I know that the Canada gees have been driving municipalities along their migratory flyways in the eastern States absolutly bonkers – because they settle down and make a home around ponds and in golf-courses, and they stay! They stay, and stink and multiply, and apparently hunting the darned things is not permitted.
May 31st, 2013 at 1:10 pm
They are a major pest here in N Illinois and everytime someone proposes letting the few goose hunters sround here get a few, PETA and their allies go nucking futs.
May 31st, 2013 at 1:12 pm
And ignorant city folk feed them, and feed them very well especially during the winter.
May 31st, 2013 at 6:31 pm
Maybe they’re making free-range foi gras.
May 31st, 2013 at 9:45 pm
Those are not Canadian geese. Canadiam geese have a black neck and head. These are Greylag geese or some form thereof.
June 1st, 2013 at 6:04 pm
Poor little doggies – bullied by those nasty-tempered swans!