Hot gull

Something I've not seen before: a young Herring Gull felt overheated on a hot afternoon and stretched out on the water panting to cool down.

A Black-Headed Gull in the Italian Garden fountains tried to swallow a fish but couldn't quite manage it, so it had to peck bits out of it instead.

A Grey Wagtail hunted along the edge of the Serpentine near the Lido, the first seen here for some time.

A flock of Long-Tailed Tits passed through the trees near the bridge ...

... where a female Blackcap lurked in the bushes.

The usual Jay at the back of the Albert Memorial came down several times to take a peanut from my hand.

The young Little Owl beside the Round Pond has been in the same corner of the same tree for several days, but I'm sure it will move soon and probably become unfindable. Its mother has moved to a tall lime tree where she can't be seen in the leaves.

The female Peregrine was on the tower.

A Moorhen found a little patch of porridge oats, and picked up grains to feed to its chick.

The two youngest Egyptian goslings relaxed against a hoarding. One is much bigger than the other.

Sad to say, the luck of the six Mallard ducklings has run out. Yesterday evening I met Virginia, who told me that the smallest one was weakening -- it's close to its mother in this picture. She and Tony Duckett were trying to catch it and put it into care, but it eluded them.

And today there were only five, four of them milling around ahead of their mother ...

... and the fifth hurrying to catch up.

On the Long Water three Gadwalls passed a Shoveller going the other way.

The patch of helenium in the Flower Walk is particularly attractive to hoverflies. This is a Batman Hoverfly. But I still haven't managed to get a picture of one of the big orange Hornet Hoverflies here, which would make a spectacular picture against the gaudy flowers.

A new batch of Speckled Wood butterflies has appeared. This one was in the Flower Walk ...

... and another was beside the leaf yard.