Behind the Queen's Temple

Few small birds were showing in the usual spots, apart from a young Blackbird near the Italian Garden which didn't turn round before some tourists blundered past and scared it away.

So I went to the wild patch behind the Queen's Temple, which is usually a good place, and there were plenty of birds, including juveniles. There were two young Blackbirds ...

... and a young Song Thrush foraging on the grass.

A young Chiffchaff was jumping around the branches ...

... and there was a glimpse of a parent in the next tree.

A Jay looked down expectantly.

Part of the lawn east of the Dell always floods after rain. A Carrion Crow was picking small insects or larvae out of the muddy water.

This pair of Herring Gulls is often seen on the Dell restaurant roof. They don't seem to be deterred by Pigeon Eater chasing them off again and again.

The single cygnet was on the lake below, taking no notice of a Canada Goose flapping at it.

One of the blond Egyptians had a vigorous wash and a flap. He has grey primary feathers and tail rather than the usual dark brown.

The Egyptian mother near the Lido is still clinging to her last gosling.

The Tufted Duck on the Long Water has four remaining ducklings, and they're growing well and pretty much out of danger.

But predictably, disaster has struck the Coots' nest by the bridge. All the eggs are gone. This place is out of the reach of foxes. Could it have been an attack by a very determined Herring Gull?

There was a good selection of insects over the water by Peter Pan. Black-Tailed Skimmer dragonflies were mating on of floating twig ...

... and so were Common Blue damselflies, light enough to stand directly on the algae.

An Emperor dragonfly zoomed back and forth.

There was also a momentary glimpse of a Darter, but not for long enough either to photograph it or to determine its species.

A Willow Emerald damselfly rested on a leaf in the Dell.

In the Rose Garden, a Honeybee browsed on a gazania ...

... and another was busy on a bidens.

The unpredictable variety of cultivated flowers in the herbaceous borders doesn't seem to trouble the bees at all. They always find something they like.

Later: A brief clip from Jon showing the little Mandarin, now safely escorted down from the Round Pond to the Long Water by its mother. Thanks to its tough upbringing, it's the only one that dares to go through the gang of Mute cygnets while its mother and two siblings hang back.