After yesterday's frantic events it was a quiet day in the park.  The young Great Tits, of whom there are a large number, flock down to be fed and sometimes you get a queue of them along your arm, jostling impatiently for their turn. They have already started prosepcting for insects on the twigs, and will be independent of their parents soon.

The feeding of a Magpie family is a noisy business, with the young squawking loudly as thesy chase their parents from tree to tree. This one was so impatient that it grabbed a twig along with the proffered food. Luckily this was too large to swallow.

The eight new Egyptian Geese are no longer pretty fluffy ducklings, and are going through a gawky teenage phase.

They will look better in a few weeks when their wings have grown -- though this is the dangerous time for Egyptians, as you don't know whether the wings will develop properly or they will suffer the sad bent 'angel wing' which means that they will never fly. If 'angel wing' is caused by bad diet (especially by being given too much bread) the odds are good, as the lake is full of algae which are a much more nutritious food.

The Mute Swans' seven cygnets are about the same age and size, but of course will take longer to reach their final huge dimensions. They remain elegant through the whole process.