Pigeon Eater strikes again

A Carrion Crow sunbathed in a heraldic pose on a hawthorn near the Round Pond.

It was watched warily by the male Little Owl. Barry Jones, who was here in the early morning, also saw the female, who has not been visible while she was nesting.

The Hobby was flying around and perched in a lime tree.

I heard a Little owlet calling in a lime tree near the Serpentine Gallery, but despite twenty minutes of trotting round the tree I couldn't see it in the dense leaves.

Under the tree, two men had found an injured Wood Pigeon, and had put it in a box and called a bird rescue service which was on its way. The pigeon had a slash across its neck. I suspect that this was inflicted by the parent Little Owl when the pigeon perched too close to the young one.

The Peregrines were on the tower, even closer together. I don't know what's come over them: they used to perch as far apart as possible.

Wrens are nesting in a hole in an old sweet chestnut by the leaf yard.

In the Dell a male Great Tit sang ...

... while one of his offspring waited impatiently, more interested in food than music.

Great Crested Grebes have built a nest on the edge of the reed bed under the Diana memorial fountain. They saw a young Grey Heron approaching along the edge of the reeds and adopted a threatening posture. Luckily the heron lost interest ...

... and flew off to fish at the end of the reed bed.

Duncan Campbell saw and photographed a grisly event. The Coots nesting in deep water at the Serpentine outflow had hatched three chicks. The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull, observing this, seized, carried off and ate them one by one.

The nest nearby at the Dell restaurant is also empty and it looks as if the same thing has happened there.

One of the Moorhens in the Dell had temporary possession of its favourite rock while the Mallards were away.

The six Mute cygnets on the Serpentine are already skilled beggars.

Female Emperor dragonflies laid eggs on fallen iris leaves in the Italian Garden fountains.