There was an open day at the Buckingham Palace Gardens, and I went with my camera.

Entrance was through the Royal Mews, with a view of the beautiful 18th century indoor riding school. The steel supports on the ceiling look like a modern addition.

Once in the garden, you see the back of the palace, a handsome structure in mellow Bath stone of which the oldest parts, built for John Sheffield, later the Duke of Buckingham, date from 1703. It has been much extended and remodelled, the latest work being a new front added in 1913 in harsh grey Portland stone, a storey higher than the rest of the building, and that is the familiar view seen by tourists. The older parts are much more to my taste.

The wildlife is pretty much the same as in the adjacent public parks, as you would expect, and there were no surprises. It was sad to discover that the Flamingos that once lived on the lake had been killed by a fox in 1996.

The highlight was a brood of Tufted ducklings energetically diving. Tufted Ducks have difficulty breeding in the more open landscape of the parks and seldom succeed.

There were also Mallard ducklings.

I was expecting to see Gadwalls, as I have been told that they breed here, and saw some adults though there was no sign of ducklings.

There are Coot nests all around the lake ...

... some of them taken over by Egyptian Geese.

A teenage Moorhen looked after a chick, as is the pleasant custom of Moorhens, which may breed three times in a year.

The lawns, long established and beautifully kept, are full of worms which attract Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls. A young Lesser Black-Back took a rest from worm hunting.

Don't get too excited, these Common Cranes are sculptures.

The staff, who were very friendly and helpful, told me that Sparrowhawks had arrived recently. These are certainly the ones from Hyde Park, and it explains why I haven't seen the adults in the park, only the two young ones. This meant that the small birds in the palace gardens were keeping their heads down. Wrens, Great Tits and Long-Tailed Tits could be heard in the bushes but not seen. However, a Robin came out and stared boldly at the visitors.

A female Common Darter dragonfly perched on a twig.

A Honeybee explored some big yellow flowers that PlantNet told me were Silphium perfoliatum.

I immediately thought of the famous silphium plant of classical antiquity, whose many uses included flavouring food, medicines for various conditions, and acting as a contraceptive, and which became extinct at an early date through over-harvesting. But that was a completely different plant, and this one is a kind of aster from North America. Its common name is the Cup Plant, because its leaves trap rainwater, making it an important asset to wildlife.