Stonechat on Buck Hill

A male Stonechat in his smart breeding plumage was flying around Buck Hill catching insects in midair. He perched in a small tree ...

... and on a dry ragwort stem.

The Siskins were back in the alders lower down the hill.

There were nesting Long-Tailed Tits all over the place. The nest behind the railings at the southwest corner of the bridge can be glimpsed through the brambles, showing it to be fairly complete already.

One bird was pulling bits of fibre out of a dead plant ...

... and the other arrived carrying a bit of moss.

Later they will start collecting feathers to line the nest.

The main element of the complex structure is spider webs, which give it elasticity so that it can stretch as the chicks grow. A different pair near Peter Pan were collecting bits of web.

The pair of Coal Tits near the bridge were interested in the feeding that was going on, and came to take pine nuts from the railings.

A Wren sang near the Italian Garden.

A Robin near the leaf yard gave the camera a serious stare.

A Starling shone in the sunshine. Attentive readers of this blog will be able to tell its sex.

The male Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery came out of the top of the chestnut tree in the afternoon.

Pigeon Eater was enjoying a late lunch at the Dell restaurant.

The two young Grey Herons are learning to fly. Here they were on the right of the first shot, with the parents keeping their distance to avoid bothered too much by them clattering their bills to demand feeding.  Then the young bird in the upper nest spread its wings and took a short hop down to the lower level.

The Black Swan and his white girlfriend are showing signs of wanting to nest, and have been examining sites on the Long Water at the southwest corner of the bridge, near the landing stage, and east of the Lido where the killer swan nested last year, which is where I filmed them today. The killer won't be needing this site as he has a better one now on the island in the Long Water. She is now actually trying to respond to his calls but, being a Mute Swan, can't manage more than a snort.

A Seven-Spot Ladybird perched on a blade of grass near the Italian Garden. There's an odd number of spots because one is shared between the wing cases just behind its head. It's good to see a native species instead of the invasive Harlequins.

Finally, a picture from outside: Jin Yucheng photographed a Black-Necked Grebe in full breeding finery at Staines Reservoir.