More Coot chicks

A Wren sang in a bush near the Queen's Temple.

I was here because yesterday Theodore found three Whitethroats, and photographed one of them.

I heard one singing in a bush today but couldn't get a sight of it. I'll keep trying.

Theodore also got a good picture of a Mistle Thrush near the Speke obelisk. They have been sadly few this year.

A Blackbird in the Rose Garden shrubbery was having trouble with a Magpie that had come close to its nest. Uttering alarm calls, it flew to the far end of the shrubbery to draw the Magpie away.

Tom was at Rainham Marshes, where he got a fine shot of a female Kingfisher with a fish ...

... and a male Wheatear.

The Great Crested Grebes on the Long Water were together at their nest on the east side of the Vista. The female on the nest has her wings raised and might be sheltering chicks, but it's hard to see from this distance and with the nest partly covered by twigs.

A new family of Coot chicks has hatched just south of Peter Pan. Their parents were feeding them.

The Mute Swan nesting at the boathouse took no notice of three Feral Pigeons which were wandering about looking for insects in the nest. One of her eggs had rolled out of the clutch, and she didn't seem to have noticed that either. She is perfectly able to get it back.

The seven Egyptian goslings here are still in good order.

The eldest gosling at the Lido stretched and preened. They often sprawl in this way. At this stage their legs are too large for their body and don't fold up comfortably.

The two Mandarin drakes came ashore. They are friendly towards each other till a female appears and then they become deadly rivals.

A Mallard drake shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

Two foxes played in the Dell. They are young and in excellent condition. Older London foxes tend to be mangy, which is a shame.

A Brimstone butterfly rested on a nettle by the leaf yard.

There was also this bee feeding on a dandelion. I thought it was a Honeybee while I was photographing it, but the stripes are too even and it clearly isn't. I hope Duncan Campbell or Conehead 54 can identify it.

Another of Tom's pictures from Rainham: a female Hairy Dragonfly. I've never seen one. They are unlikely to appear in the park, as they like marshes.

A new jetty has been built at the boathouses with what are clearly electric charging points.

It looks as if the park boat hire people have had an attack of greenery and are planning to change the outboard motors on their boats. I hope it slows them down, since they cruise at reckless speed and raise huge washes which would destroy any grebe's nest on the edge. They already have one small electric boat which keeps running out of charge and having to be towed home with an evil internal combustion engine.