Young crows learning their trade

The young Carrion Crows have now learnt to shell peanuts instead of expecting their parents to do it for them. They were mercifully silent, and the parents looked relieved.

This is the mate of the tattered Coal Tit in the Flower Walk, also looking a bit worn by bringing up a brood. Both of them will take pine nuts from my hand.

So will this Robin, which is presumably a parent of the young one I've photographed several times since both appear in the same section of the Flower Walk.

This Robin near the Henry Moore sculpture, also a parent, is shyer but will accept pine nuts thrown on the ground.

Pigeon Eater had already had his lunch, but thought he could fit in a little more and returned to his meal.

The Great Crested Grebe pair at the island have been diving under the wire baskets at the east end and disappearing, evidently coming up behind them. There is a bush here where it's possible to nest, and there is some hope that they may be breeding again in a safer place.

An Egyptian Goose enjoyed a splashy wash near the Lido.

It was cooler and there was a bit of wind, and the Black Swan had recovered from his lassitude. He charged over for some sunflower seeds.

The Tufted Duck from the Long Water has managed to keep seven of her original eleven ducklings despite attacks by Herring Gulls. She had brought them on to the Serpentine, where they were all diving busily.

On the other side of the lake the Mallard is now down to two ducklings. She was sheltering them from the wind, and from the Herring Gulls circling overhead.

At the Round Pond the Mandarin duckling is becoming quite a fierce little creature. It was scattering Feral Pigeons left and right, and Jon saw it attacking a Coot.

Three Egyptian teenagers rested on the gravel strip.

The fox at the Henry Moore sculpture was out on the lawn again. It didn't like me pointing a camera at it, and gave me a disapproving look before sauntering into the undergrowth.

Common Wasps were flying in and out of an underground nest next to the Albert Memorial steps. They don't dig these holes themselves, but use existing holes such as those made by rodents. (There are species of solitary digger wasp that do excavate their own nest holes.)

No exotic bees seen today, just a Buff-Tailed Bumblebee climbing into an acanthus flower in the Dell ...

... and a Common Carder on the catmint patch in the Rose Garden.

The red and yellow plum trees at the Triangle are laden with fruit, which is edible and good if you can get to it, but people are picking it thoroughly and you have to be lucky to find one they have missed.