Greylag goslings

Although Blackbirds are in sharp decline in the park they are very noticeable at this time of year when the males are singing constantly. I heard five around the lake. This one was singing in the leaf yard.

The Long-Tailed Tits nesting in the Rose Garden pergola were busy in the bushes looking for insects for their young. One perched in an azalea.

A Wren watched them from the next bush.

The pair of Jays near the Italian Garden that take peanuts from my hand have been away for a while, but are now back and as hungry as ever. Perhaps their supply of buried acorns for the winter has finally given out.

A Pied Wagtail on the edge of the Serpentine ignored a Feral Pigeon lumbering past.

The Coots in the northeast pool in the Italian Garden are down to five chicks, but these are now growing fast. They have turned out to be older than the nine in the other pool, and have entered the period of rapid growth sooner.

A Moorhen amused itself by running around the rail of a planter.

The Mute Swans nesting beside the Lido restaurant terrace now have two eggs ...

... and the pair at the boathouse have one. The female won't start incubating them until she has finished laying. In both places it was the male guarding the nest.

There are five new Greylag goslings on the Serpentine, the first of the year. Their father was keeping the other geese at a distance -- not that they presented any threat, but to show off to his mate about how tough he was.

An Egyptian Goose looked as if he was going to mate, but called off the attempt and started preening his mate instead, which annoyed her.

The pair with seven goslings were on shore and going across the horse ride to feed, but two goslings hadn't come with them and were scooting around on the lake catching midges, and in danger from gulls.

Their mother called urgently to them and they came ashore and trotted across the road.

The teenagers from Marble Arch were sprawled carelessly in the middle of the road, ignoring passing cyclists.

It wasn't the Mallard with five ducklings who lost one to the murderous drake yesterday. The five were safe in the reeds to the east of the Lido.

It was the mother with two younger ones, now reduced to one. She had taken refuge in the reed bed, and was preening while the little one imitated her.

The Mallards from the Dell had come out on to the lawn by the Rose Garden and were poking around amid a flock of pigeons, evidently looking for larvae and worms in the grass.

Two Mandarin drakes dozed side by side at the Triangle.