Saturday crowds

A Saturday with reasonable weather and even occasional sunshine had brought crowds into the park. The Lido restaurant terrace was packed, attracting Starlings which lined up on the railings waiting to snatch a morsel.

They are particularly fond of chips.

The very mobile Kensington Garden flock of Redwings were near the Round Pond.

The Redwings on the fenced-off Parade Ground aren't worried by crowds, but a tractor with a harrow frightened them into the trees.

After the tractor had gone away, they came down from the trees and started dashing around on the bare earth.

I've often seen this Wren in the Diana fountain car park, but it's very shy and this is the first time I've got a picture of it.

Less success with the Long-Tailed Tits nesting by the bridge, which simply wouldn't perch without at least one twig in the way.

But the Coal Tits in the Flower Walk are now quite easy, as you just have to stand by the paperbush and they will arrive and wait to be fed.

The male Pied Wagtail on the edge of the Serpentine isn't worried by the passing crowds as long as it doesn't think it's being looked at.

There is enough space in the Diana fountain enclosure for a Grey Wagtail to hunt near the edge even when there are people around the watercourse.

A Cormorant fished over the wire baskets under the bridge. These baskets full of twigs are fish hatcheries for perch, and perhaps some of last year's fish are still hanging around them.

The Grey Heron chicks on the island could be seen in the nest but weren't showing well, so here is one of last year's offspring of the same pair of adults, wandering around near the Serpentine outflow.

The Little Grebe in the Italian Garden was in its usual pool. It has never even looked at any of the other pools, although they have uncut irises which offer better cover.

A flock of a dozen Gadwalls on the Long Water were feeling the onset of spring and dashing around quacking at each other, which is not the way these very quiet ducks usually behave.