Three Mandarin ducklings are still alive, after I thought all were lost. Their mother was taking them to the shelter of a bush near Peter Pan ...

... while a Herring Gull eyed them hungrily from a few feet away.

The Blue Tits nesting in the lamp post were both bringing food for their young.

A Pied Wagtail was also collecting insects near the Lido. These birds nest in existing holes in trees or walls.

The young Heron was looking out of its nest on the island.

Yesterday I thought I heard begging calls from the other nest, but it was only for a moment and I may well have been wrong.

The male Little Owl in the chestnut tree was out on a branch. Earlier, Paul had seen both of them out. This may be a sign that their owlets have hatched.

Paul also said that the continued absence of the pair of Little Owls from the oak near the Albert Memorial, after they had apparently won their yearly battle with the Stock Doves for ownership of the hole, may be because their chick have hatched too. This certainly needs looking into.

Similarly, the pair in the lime tree haven't been seen for several days. All we know is that the number of Little Owls in the park is increasing, and that we are missing a lot of the action.

Two Starlings were taking time off from feeding their nestlings to enjoy an avocado.

The Black Swan was preening near Bluebird Boats, with his ruffled feathers ruffled even more by a gust of wind.

A Magpie was chasing a Jackdaw near the Henry Moore sculpture.

Below them, on the gravel bank, was the first returning Black-Headed Gull. This bird has been wandering vaguely around the Long Water and the Serpentine. It will have to wait a long time before any others come back from northern Europe and local landfill sites to join it.

There was a female Brimstone butterfly on the hawthorn hedge at the side of the enclosure.