Bold Grey Wagtail

The Grey Wagtail was hunting along the edge of the Lido, so I took some pictures of it from a discreet distance so as not to disturb it.

Then I went on my way, which took me past it and would normally have caused it to fly away. But it didn't, so I was able to film it from very close indeed.

Both Robins in the Flower Walk came to my hand within a few seconds of each other. This is the presumed mate of the familiar tatty Robin, which only became confident a few days ago.

This very pleasing picture by Mark Williams was taken a while ago, at the start of the nesting season when a male Robin was feeding his mate to show that he would look after her when she was sitting. Of course they wouldn't behave like that at any other time of year.

A Robin in the bushes at the southwest corner of the bridge was wary but collected a pine nut thrown on the ground.

The stairs from here up to the bridge were blocked by a Grey Heron which wouldn't let me past, so I had to go round the edge of the shrubbery.

There were still a few House Martins hunting over the Round Pond.

It was still windy and the Little Owl had retired to the back of her hole.

The Little Grebes were still on the pond.

A Great Crested Grebe chick on the Long Water was being fed by its father, so I photographed it ...

... and then started filming. Within two minutes of the first picture he gave it three more. Chicks never seem to be full.

On the Serpentine there was a brief sight of all three chicks: the survivor of the two from the nest at the bridge, in the background here with a parent, and the two that flew in recently.

The odd-coloured Lesser Black-Backed Gull with dark eyes has dredged up some mysterious spiky object that I can't identify. It wasn't edible and the gull soon dropped it.

Pigeon Eater was in the water nearby but made no effort to chase the gull off his territory. It's very big for a Lesser Black-Back, even larger than him.

A female Tufted Duck rested on the edge.

The Long Water is covered with Pochards, almost all of them Common. Here are some near the bridge.

There are a few Red-Crested Pochards, all drakes, and they are now getting their breeding plumage again.

One Shoveller drake is well on the way to his winter smartness.

Autumn crocuses are coming out at the bridge.

Herring Gulls in love

A pair of Herring Gulls beside the Serpentine moaned affectionately and mirrored each other's movements. Picking up a leaf is also part of the ritual.

This is not the affectionate pair we've seen before. The one on the left is only three years old, not yet a full adult.

Pigeon Eater, in his usual place at the Dell restaurant, stretched languidly ...

... before going hunting. The white Feral Pigeon had not been paying attention, and he crept up on it, preparing to lunge.

It woke up in time and hastily flew away.

Black-Headed Gulls dogged the Little Grebes on the Round Pond, wanting to grab any fish they brought up.

The Great Crested Grebe chick at the island watched its father, who had caught a large perch. It proved too big even for an adult to swallow, and had to be released. Probably the fish survived its narrow escape with no more than cuts and bruises.

One of the chicks on the Long Water prodded its father into action.

It preened a wing, showing fully grown flight feathers.

Great Crested Grebes are so reluctant to fly that you don't really know when the chicks are airworthy. I was surprised at the two slightly older chicks that flew to the Serpentine a few days ago. They can't have been much more than two months old.

The childless pair at the east end of the Serpentine don't have to do anything except catch a fish when they're hungry. Like tigers they spend most of their life resting.

A young Moorhen was out at the Vista ...

... because a Grey Heron had occupied the Moorhen family's usual bush and they didn't feel safe.

A pair of Egyptian Geese rested on one leg each at Peter Pan.

The Black Swan, still on the Round Pond, seems to be courting again.

The Little Owl was at the back of her hole when I first went by, keeping out of the chilly morning wind. Later she came out on her usual branch in the horse chestnut tree.

A Jackdaw perched on her nest tree.

Another stared from the gravel strip in the pond before flying over to accept a peanut.

A Pied Wagtail stood on a fallen twig to get a better view of any insect crawling in the grass.

The familiar Robin the the Flower Walk was waiting each time I went by.

Virginia captured an unusual incident on her phone. I hope the man was playing the Water Music.

Making the most of the sunshine

After a chilly start the sunshine was quite warm. The Little Owl at the Round Pond came out on a branch of the horse chestnut tree.

Long-Tailed Tits ranged through the small hawthorns below.

A Robin in the Flower Walk emerged from the top of a yew hedge.

In the Rose Garden the male Chaffinch ...

... and his mate came out to be fed.

A Wood Pigeon took it easy under a tree.

There was only one young Grey Heron in the nest on the island, with the other two wandering through the bushes below. So far none of them has come over to the shore.

The odd-coloured Lesser Black-Backed Gull is well settled at the Dell restaurant, at least when Pigeon Eater is away. It shows no sign of wanting to eat pigeons. The pigeons know this and are happy to let it walk among them.

There are still only a few Common Gulls on the Round Pond. Numbers build up over the autumn, and usually there are about 50 by midwinter.

The four Little Grebes were diving busily in various parts of the pond.

The Great Crested Grebe chick from the nest on the island went over to wake its mother and get her fishing again.

They were monetarily disturbed by a Canada Goose chasing off a rival.

The two foxes in the Dell have a well hidden hole in the bushes on the slope that is the back wall of the big earth dam holding in the Serpentine.

A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee, a Honeybee and a Common Carder browsed on Michaelmas daisies in the Rose Garden.

There was also a Small White butterfly.

A Tapered Dronefly fed on another clump of daisies.

Fairy Ring mushrooms are starting to come up beside the Round Pond.

House Martins preparing to leave

London is full of House Martins at the moment, massing for their migration to Africa. 

At least a hundred were hunting midges over the Round Pond.

The wind was quite strong and it had only just stopped raining, so the Little Owl was staying at the back of her hole.

The Little Grebes are still on the pond. They seem to favour this orange buoy, which is the nearest thing to a bit of cover on the open pond.

When there's more than one pair of Egyptian Geese there's an argument. A pair on the edge of the pond and another on top of the owls' tree were shouting at each other.

A Pied Wagtail found a small larva in a puddle on the shore.

Our one and only Grey Wagtail was hunting by the Dell restaurant terrace.

The familiar Robin in the Flower Walk was waiting on the back of a bench each time I passed.

The male Chaffinch in the Rose Garden shrubbery now comes out regularly to pick up thrown pine nuts.

A Coal Tit perched on a twig above.

We've seen this pure white Feral Pigeon in the Rose Garden already. Today it was poking about nearby on the edge of the Serpentine Road.

Pigeon Eater was on his usual territory eyeing a pigeon and hoping it would lose concentration. But it stayed alert and flew away as he crept up to it.

One of the young Grey Herons flew into the nest and had a display with one that was already there.

A Great Crested Grebe on the Long Water shrugged as she was relentlessly chased by a chick.

The childless pair at the east end of the Serpentine have a life of leisure.

A pair of Gadwalls stood on a kerb in the Italian Garden.

There are still Common Carder Bees on the catmint in the Rose Garden. They were joined by what I think is a Vestal Cuckoo Bee, judging by the faintness of its second stripe.

A large bracket fungus was growing on an old cherry tree on the Dell restaurant terrace. Some idiot had smashed it up beyond my feeble powers of identification. Later: Mario says that it's an old Chicken of the Woods which has faded greatly from its original yellow colour.