The male Little Owl made a welcome reappearance in his usual chestnut tree, though he didn't stay long on the usual branch and moved around restlessly.

One of the young Hobbies also arrived and perched on a bare branch of a plane tree one to the south of the usual perch.

In the leaf yard the shy female Chaffinch came to be fed. Unlike the male, she won't come to my hand and has to be fed by putting seeds on the railings.

One of the Nuthatches also arrived, frightening the Chaffinch with its abrupt dashes, but by making two deposits of seeds it was possible to feed both of them.

The youngest Great Crested Grebe chick was on the Serpentine near the bridge with its father, who waved a foot nonchalantly in the air. When they are swimming slowly with one foot, the other one folded under their wing gets cramped after a while and needs to be stretched.

The female Mute Swan from the Long Water was also in this place, blocking the path while her offspring cruised aimlessly around. She is just as fierce with dogs as her mate, and seriously frightened an Alsatian and a boxer, which cringed against the fence as they were led past.

A male Common Darter dragonfly hunting over one of the Italian Garden ponds ...

... found a mate and set to work. It is a long and complicated business.