Green Woodpeckers everywhere

Green Woodpeckers are now heard all over the park. One preened in a tree near the Rose Garden.

The other bird that is appearing in large numbers now is the Coal Tit. I saw six and heard several others. This is one I haven't seen before in a veronica bush at the west end of the Flower Walk ...

... and here is one of the familiar pair at Temple Gate.

A Blue Tit perched in new rose leaves in the Rose Garden ...

... and the male Chaffinch was waiting in the hawthorn which is one of the gathering places for small birds.

A Wood Pigeon drank from a puddle.

The Robin pair at Mount Gate were together in a bush.

A Jay looked for insects in the wood chips under an old chestnut near the Serpentine Gallery.

The usual female Pied Wagtail was at the Lido restaurant ...

... with her mate a few yards along the shore.

A Grey Heron parent in the nest on the island found it hard to maintain the nest with two large chicks bouncing and clacking in it.

A heron perched on the water level that was pointlessly installed when the Olympics were held in the park. The level of the Serpentine never varies by more than a couple of inches.

There are now two pairs of Great Crested Grebes by the island, so a good deal of territorial posturing has been going on. The two available nest sites are too close together for peace.

The little old female Mute Swan 4GIB has been bitten by a dog. Luckily the splendid volunteers were on hand to rescue her and she is now recovering at the Swan Sanctaury.

There are eight new Egyptian goslings on the south shore of the Serpentine, a sadly dangerous place but their mother is doing her best to protect them.

A pair made the most of a small swamp by the leaf yard.

The swan nesting basket at the Triangle had a pair of Mallards in it. It has been visited by just about every species on the lake -- except swans, which show no interest whatever.

A fox came out of the brambles near the Vista, and was tempted to stay in sight by giving it some peanuts.

Windy

It was a windy day. A young Cormorant, still with a pale front, preened on a post at the island. The adult on the next post preferred to sit it out.

The female Pied Wagtail on the edge of the Serpentine just managed not to get blown away.

Pigeon Eater preened on the edge of the lake with his mate in the background while choppy waves broke on the shore.

Three Mute Swans were ruffled by the wind as they preened near the Lido.

A female Great Crested Grebe bounced in the waves.

A pair displayed in the smooth water in the lee of the island. There are two good nest sites a short distance away.

The young Grey Herons were making a racket in the nest but there was nothing much to see. An adult stalked through a crowd of Feral Pigeons by the bridge. It has a British metal ring, 119232, which I have reported. Sometimes you get sent information about where it was ringed.

Ahmet Amerikali got a picture of a Long-Tailed Tit at the northwest corner of the bridge carrying a bit of spider web to add to its nest.

There seem to be more and more Coal Tits, a welcome sight. This one was at the other end of the bridge.

A pair appeared in the corkscrew hazel bush in the Dell ...

... and there was also a pair in a rose bush in the Rose Garden ...

... along with a small flock of Blue Tits.

The scene was disrupted by an insistent male Rose-Ringed Parakeet, beautiful but a serious pest ...

... and more so by the Sparrowhawk flying over, but the birds instantly dived into shelter and it didn't get anything.

The railings near the Buck Hill shelter were thronged with Starlings. It's not just that they nest nearby, clearly someone is feeding them there.

Farther up the hill a Green Woodpecker hunted in the long grass.

A Jay at the Vista was expecting a peanut.

I don't quite know why I filmed this, but it's rather sad.

Two young herons

The two young Grey Herons in the top nest on the Serpentine island are now big enough to be clearly seen over the top of the nest. They are already getting their flight feathers. As they lurched and flapped about, their parents kept out of the way in a nearby nest.

The nest a few yards to the west of it is also going ahead well and it seems likely that there will be eggs soon.

On the shore below, the Pied Wagtail fearlessly ran under my feet.

A Black-Headed Gull was wondering how to swallow a large piece of cake from the snack bar in the boat hire building.

Pigeon Eater, not seen for several days, was back on his station calling to his mate.

In the Rose Garden a Coal Tit ...

... a Blue Tit ...

... and the familiar male Chaffinch collected in a small hawthorn tree.

Hawthorns attract a heavy growth of lichen, which is populated by insects and therefore brings insect-eating birds. When I was a boy in the 1950s there was no lichen anywhere in London, as the air was too dirty for it to grow. The Clean Air Act of 1957 forbade the burning of ordinary coal in fireplaces, and since then the air has improved sufficiently for lichen to return.

A Jackdaw thought I hadn't noticed it, and flapped and called for attention.

The large blossoming paperbush in the Flower Walk made a background for a Great Tit ...

... and a Robin.

Starlings chattered on a railing near the Buck Hill shelter, where they will soon be nesting in the eaves.

Ahmet Amerikali photographed a Goldcrest beside the Long Water.

A Coot nesting in the Italian Garden fountains carefully placed a stick in a position that pleased it.

Another pair of Mute Swans occupied the nesting basket east of the Lido. They never stay long at present, but at least they are interested in it. The other two baskets are more visible from the shore, and this seems to be putting the swans off as they have shown no interest in either of them.

The big male 4FYY was nearby, showing off to his mate 4FUF by bullying the other swans. He has staked out a nest site in the east end of the reed bed, a place which although onshore and exposed to foxes has succeeded several times.

A pair of Pochards were reflected in the calm water.

Two Japanese Pagoda trees trained to a stiff upright shape have been planted on either side of Peter Pan. Judging by the tree near the Rose Garden, they will grow quite large and pleasantly untidy. The slope behind has been smoothed out and will be planted with grass so that people can sit by the statue, quite a good idea for once.

A bit of sunshine

A sunny day was a welcome change. Cherry blossom in the Rose Garden attracted a Blue Tit ...

... and a Great Tit ...

... while a Coal Tit perched on a lichen-encrusted hawthorn twig.

When a pair of Great Tits are together you can see the difference between the male, on the right here, with a broad black stripe down his front and the female with a narrow one.

A Coal Tit came out in a dogwood bush at Mount Gate ...

... while I was photographing the female Robin, who was impatient at the delay in giving her some pine nuts.

The Robin at the southwest corner of the bridge has a mate, though it's still very shy and stays in the bushes so I don't have a picture of it.

A Jackdaw waited in a tree by the Italian Garden ...

... and a Carrion Crow on an umbrella at the Lido restaurant was doing its best to look sweet and fluffy.

All three dominant Black-Headed Gulls on the Serpentine were on view, the Czech visitor at the east end ...

... Blue 2331 halfway along on the usual post ...

... and the one from the landing stage patrolling the west end.

The Grey Heron chick in the top nest on the island could be seen a bit more clearly bouncing around in the nest while a parent stood above. The scene was disturbed by the arrival of another heron, which was chased away. I could only see one chick, but usually it turns out that there are more than you saw early on.

The upper west nest is now constantly attended and seems to be a going concern.

The fallen tree at the Peter Pan waterfront is a favourite perch for Cormorants, and even at this time of year when most of them have left the park you can always find a few here.

A pair of Moorhens wandered around the near end of the tree.

The boss Mute Swan on the Long Water preened on the gravel strip while his mate cruised nearby. They have still shown little interest in the nesting island, but he knows what it's for and will lead her to it when the time comes.

Crocuses are coming out on the little hummocks between the Albert Memorial and Mount Gate. The bumpy ground here is the remains of Charles Bridgeman's 70 ft tall Prospect Mount, demolished in the early 19th century when the trees around it had grown too tall and blocked the view it was built to provide.