Wet day

It rained for most of the day. The familiar Robin in the Flower Walk was sheltering in a bush, but came out to take some pine nuts.

The young one was on the railings.

There was another young Robin on the path by the Henry Moore sculpture ...

... and a Greenfinch in the top of a dead tree.

A Carrion Crow was looking damp and miserable.

Young Starlings at the Lido restaurant sensibly sheltered under a table umbrella.

Needless to say, all the Little Owls were staying in their holes.

The Italian Garden was deserted except for a Grey Heron and an Egyptian Goose.

I'm keeping an eye on the Great Crested Grebe nest opposite Peter Pan. So far there's no sign of hatching.

But I'm sorry to say that the nest at the Diana fountain has disappeared. The sloppy structure had stood up to some quite strong winds. While I was there one of the staff from the boat hire was racing his powerboat around at a thoroughly irresponsible speed, and the wash may have destroyed the nest -- but that's only a guess.

One of the Coots from the nest at the bridge chased a Moorhen on to a post. They do enjoy tormenting their smaller relatives.

The Mute Swans from the island took their single cygnet for a stroll along the horse ride.

The single Mandarin duckling is now almost adult size.

It enjoyed a wash and flap.

Mallard ducklings are appearing all over the lake. There aren't many Herring Gulls at the moment, which gives them a slightly greater chance of survival. These four were at Peter Pan ...

... and there were another three just the far side of the bridge, which I had to photograph in two lots as two of the ducklings had wandered away from their mother.