The Robins' truce

The female Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery was back on view in the top of the chestnut tree, though you couldn't get an unobstructed view of her. She is not worried by being photographed, unlike her mate who has to be ambushed and hastily snapped before he flies off.

The Robin pairs in the Flower Walk ...

... and at Mount Gate are in a short peaceful period when they have brought up their young and are still on good terms with each other. Soon the pairs will split up and each bird will defend a private territory, fighting its mate if it intrudes. 

Two interesting pictures from Ahmet Amerikali. One of the Goldcrest parents from the yew tree in the Dell arrived with a load of insects for its young.

A Reed Warbler on the patch of scrubby ground between the Dell and the reed bed at the southeast corner of the Serpentine, which is referred to as the Caroline enclosure because it contains a monument to Queen Caroline, consort of George II, for whom the Serpentine was created by damming the Westbourne river.

A young Carrion Crow on Rotten Row begged its parent for a share of a bit of bread. Surprisingly, it got its way. Most of the crows have stopped feeding their offspring.

A Magpie pestered a fox on the lawn by the Henry Moore sculpture, annoying it so much that it left.

Pigeon Eater was prowling near the Dell restaurant in his hunting stance, with head lowered and ready to rush at any inattentive pigeon.

A female Great Crested Grebe was looking for fish lurking in the algae on the Serpentine. The algae on the surface are not just floating patches, they are the tops of a submerged forest, and this explains the grebe's fishing style, staying on the surface and peering down into gaps.

The Coot nesting on the chain by the island where the Cormorants stand left for a while, but has now decided that there is no threat from them and returned to the nest. I don't think there were or are any eggs.

Only three goslings are left of the Egyptian Goose family at the southeast corner of the Serpentine, but they frolicked around gaily ignorant of the danger from the many Herring Gulls.

The young Mallards on the Round Pond simply ignore the irritable Mute Swans pecking at them.

The Mandarin ducklings were wandering all over the pond and there was no chance of a group shot. Here is the mother with the largest duckling, now almost as big as her ...

... and with the smallest, still tiny and growing slowly, but otherwise it seems in good health and is very active.

A Comma butterfly sunned itself on a bindweed leaf near the Italian Garden. When it folds its wings you can see the white comma-shaped mark on the underside that gives the butterfly its name.

In the Rose Garden a Colletes bee, which I thought was an Ivy Bee C. hederae, fed on an oxeye daisy. But it was a long way from any ivy, and see Conehead 54's comment below

After the first flush of Hairy-Footed Flower Bees I hadn't seen one for some time, but today there was what looked rather like a female in the lavender patch. Update: Duncan Campbell thinks it isn't black enough to be a Hairy-Footed Flower Bee. But I have side views of it showing very hairy feet. The colour suggests an Ashy Mining Bee, Andrena cineraria, but it's too squat for that. Again, see Conehead 54's comment below.