There were two Bar-Headed Geese on the Serpentine yesterday, and they are probably still there though I couldn't see them today. Virginia sent me this elegant picture.

Let's hope they are a couple and manage to breed. There is a small feral population of Bar-Headed Geese in Britain now, descended from birds escaped from collections.

The Greylag Geese have formed a collective nursery in the usual place on the south bank of the Serpentine, and here are all ten goslings.

The solitary Canada gosling was drinking from a puddle.

The female Mute Swan on the Long Water had gathered her cygnets on to the little island.

The other family on the Serpentine came over to eat some grain that Paul had thrown to them.

A swan nesting on one of the rafts at the east end of the Serpentine was panting on quite a warm day.

She could easily have got off the nest for a couple of minutes and had a cooling swim and a drink, but hung on stubbornly. This pair have now completely excluded the Canada Goose that was nesting on the raft, and the eggs are abandoned.

But Moorhens have built a well hidden nest on the raft only a couple of feet away.

There were few gulls on the lake today, and the parents of the single Coot chick on the basket near the bridge felt confident enough to leave it alone on the nest for a minute while they fetched food.

The Great Crested Grebes from the nest on the island definitely have only one chick left. They were clearly struggling to feed three, as it's not the right time of year for there to be a supply of small fish. But this one has grown well, and may make it.

The young Grey Heron, also a lone survivor of three, was basking in the sunshine near the top of a tree. So it can fly now, and seems to be skilled enough to do a pinpoint landing on a branch.

One of its parents was sitting (if that's the word) in a very odd position on the roof of the small electric boat. The canvas awning has been much torn by Herring Gulls with nothing better to do.

House Martins were paying serious attention to nest holes in the cornice of the Kuwaiti Embassy.

I watched for several minutes, and reckon that five holes are occupied. More may follow -- there were seven last year.

A Sparrowhawk arrived and chased them, but didn't catch any. The local Hobby would probably have been more successful, as these can catch even Swifts in flight.

Some Carrion Crows were playing with an empty plastic tub beside the Serpentine. One seized it and ran away to enjoy the glittering toy in private.

The Mistle Thrushes near Queen's Gate were out on the grass.

The Little Owl was on his favourite summer perch on the chestnut near the leaf yard. The growing leaves are already making it a difficult place to photograph.