The parakeet delusion

A flock of Long-Tailed Tits passed through the trees near the bridge. This is one of the young ones, still with its brown juvenile plumage.

They brought with them several Blue Tits -- this is also a young one  ...

... and a rather frayed female Blackcap.

The young Great Tits in the Flower Walk now have the glossy heads of adults, but still haven't developed the full black stripe down the front, broad for males, narrow for females.

Mark Williams photographed a young Robin in St James's Park growing its first red feathers.

Neil found a Carrion Crow with an overgrown beak. It didn't seem to have any trouble feeding.

Magpies probed the rotten wood of a dead tree trunk near the Round Pond, looking for insects.

This used to be the top of the dead tree where the Little Owls nested. The female was visible in a neighbouring horse chestnut.

One of her young was in there somewhere, calling. But she got annoyed when I started wandering around trying to find it, so I gave up and left her in peace.

This is one of the owlets at the Serpentine Gallery.

Just a male Rose-Ringed Parakeet on a cedar next to the Rose Garden. But there is a story attached.

A couple with two small children were passing underneath. The woman looked up and saw the parakeet.

Woman: Oh look, there's a parrot.

Man (not looking up): Don't be so silly.

Woman: It's a big green parrot.

Man: You've been on the vodka again.

Parakeet: [Loud screech.]

Woman: There, it's calling.

Man: Hurry up or we won't get to the Diana statue in time.

The Moorhens nesting in the little stream in the Dell now have two chicks.

The Coots on the big nest by the balcony of the Dell restaurant lost their first brood, but have tried again and the first chick has hatched.

The last Mallard duckling has survived another day, and was with its mother beside the moored pedalos. It got too close to a Canada Goose and was chased away.

The Pochard continued her vigil at the weir.

The Egyptian Geese are still breeding. Here are the youngest two goslings on the Serpentine.

A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee worked carefully over the multiple florets of an agapanthus in the Rose Garden.

Silky Rosegill mushrooms (Volvariella bombycina) are growing on a broken and nearly dead horse chestnut north of the Serpentine Gallery. This tree has already been colonised by Oyster mushrooms.