Confident Dunnock

A Dunnock picked small insects out of the leaf litter in the woodland at the foot of Buck Hill.

Most Dunnocks are very shy and flee when you look at them, but this one is unusually calm. I filmed what was probably the same bird in this place in January and February.

A late hatched young Magpie near Temple Gate was still not independent, and pestered its parents for food. It did get some.

A young Blackcap perched on a bramble at the southwest corner of the bridge. It's already grey so it must be male, but it hasn't got its adult black cap yet.

There was a young Robin at the other end of the bridge, perched on a wrought iron hoop of unknown purpose which I hadn't noticed in the undergrowth until now ...

... and another in a holly tree north of Peter Pan.

A young Blackbird behind the Queen's Temple was doing absolutely nothing, and stood stock still for several minutes while I filmed it hoping for some action.

Two of the young Grey Herons on the island could be seen side by side in their nest. It's oddly difficult to find all three of them in a photographable position.

One from a previous brood had commandeered the Coots' nest at Peter Pan for a fishing station.

Sad to say, the Great Crested Grebe nest at the landing stage really is deserted, and today as yesterday there was a Coot on it and at least one abandoned but intact egg. I have no idea what happened here.

But all was well on the nest under the Dell restaurant balcony ...

... on the Serpentine island  ...

... and in the willow by the bridge, and at least the last two of these are in safe places.

Jon revisited the Little Grebe family on the canal at Brentford. Here is one of the chicks.

The Coot nesting on the Hyde Park side of the bridge was turning the eggs. Its mate was being unusually solicitous and had just brought it a bit of red paper for a nest ornament. The eggs should be about to hatch -- but this is not a good place at all and has a record of failure year after year.

The Mute Swan family were returning from an expedition down the Serpentine.

They have only been going as far as the island, and I don't think the murderous male knows about the lone cygnet at the east end of the lake. Its mother is very defensive when it's with her -- here she is shooing a harmless Canada Goose ...

... but it's getting adventurous and keeps wandering off. Later it was alone by the old water level at Fisherman's Keep.

The Black Swan was also here. He is staying by himself now and not interacting with the other swans, and seems depressed. But he was alert and came over for some sunflower hearts.

The young Mandarin on the Round Pond was going round the edge, but also paused to eat some sunflower hearts. Both these birds need company. Let's hope the mother Mandarin remembers to come up and lead it down to the Long Water, which is out of sight from the pond so the little duck doesn't know it exists.

Later: Exactly this has happened. This evening Virginia found it at the Vista with its mother.