Two crows in the fountain

A pair of Carrion Crows landed on the marble fountain in the Italian Garden to dunk some bread they had won from an unwary human.

One stayed to check the algae-covered edge of the basin, looking for small edible creatures. Moorhens also search these places, so there must be something here.

A Magpie perched in hawthorn blossom by the Queen's Temple.

There was a Red Admiral butterfly on another branch.

I had come here to look for a Whitethroat, and heard one singing at the back of the temple. It came into view but was behind twigs so I didn't get a picture, but a singing Blackcap was more obliging.

The Coal Tit at Mount Gate now allows itself to be photographed because it knows it will be rewarded with pine nuts.

The Robins are less patient and hop around irritably till you feed them.

The Peregrines haven't been spending much time on the barracks recently but the female showed up today, I think always by herself.

The young Grey Herons in the nest can hardly be called chicks now. They are rapidly approaching adult size.

The Coot chicks are losing the red feathers on their head which stimulate adults to feed them. Their parents are still devotedly bring them food, although the young are also feeding themselves.

The Mute Swan nesting at the outflow stood up to preen, revealing six eggs.

The swan at the boathouse has recovered her egg which had rolled out of the nest yesterday. The pair think that plastic food containers are a fine nest ornament.

A pair of Canada Geese with two goslings went up the Long Water, safer from gulls than the Serpentine but they may have trouble with the killer swan.

The eldest Egyptian gosling at the Lido is properly wary. It noticed an approaching dog even before its parents did, and headed down the slope towards the safety of the water.

A Mandarin drake preened his fantastic feathers on the edge.

A Honeybee revolved in two rugosa roses. All bees are fond of these roses, which have a lot of pollen and an open shape that makes it easy to get at. Three ladybirds, probably Harlequins, were on the second rose and two seemed to be mating.

Green spurge flowers at Peter Pan attracted a Flavous Nomad Bee, Nomada flava ...

... and a Common Banded Hoverfly, Syrphus ribesii.