Sparrowhawk and Peregrine

A male Greenfinch pecked at leaf buds in a hawthorn beside the Long Water.

There are several Jackdaw nests in holes in the big oak trees at the southeast corner of the leaf yard. A Jackdaw was collecting nest lining.

This Jay is always waiting when I go past the Albert Memorial.

A Carrion Crow dunked a bit of pizza crust it had snatched from the Lido restaurant.

There were crows again in the Little Owls' trees at the Round Pond, so there was no sign of the owls. At the other owl tree near the Speke obelisk, a pair of Stock doves were perched next to the hole. There is always competition for holes between Stock Doves and Little Owls.

A Wood Pigeon wandered through a patch of bluebells near the Dell.

Ahmet Amerikali found the male of the local Sparrowhawk pair in a tree.

From across the lake I saw a Peregrine fly up into the barracks tower, where it perched right at the top. I could only get this very distant picture. I wonder whether the fact that we haven't seen much of the Peregrines on the ledge recently is due to their having found a different perch.

This Lesser Black-Backed Gull, one of a pair at the island, has a Belgian ring, 926985. I think that's the whole number as there was a visible space at both ends of it, but I'm not absolutely sure whether there might have been some letters before the number. (Update: a later view revealed just one letter, so the number is L926985.)

One of the young Grey Herons stood on a boathouse roof, muttering quietly to itself.

The other was in the nest.

Both the other pair of herons were in their nest at the west end of the island.

A Coot chased a Moorhen off the water on to a post, as they like to do for no real reason.

A Cormorant fished below the Italian Garden. The sunlight caught its bright turquoise eye.

The male Mute Swan guarded the nest in the reeds east of the Lido while his mate was off feeding. I couldn't see any eggs.

An Egyptian Goose had an enthusiastic wash.