Swans reunited at last

The boss Mute Swan, separated from his new mate by the pontoon blocking the bridge, finally remembered what his wings are for and flew over the bridge on to the Long Water. The pair were ecstatic at being reunited.

But unfortunately the Black Swan had also flown over the bridge and was determined to spoil their party.

The boss escorted him off the premises, quite gently but without allowing any opposition.

A Great Crested Grebe watched the manoeuvres with mild interest.

That was not the end of the story, because as I looked through the bushes from the other side of the lake I saw the Black Swan creeping back. And an hour later he was on the Serpentine, no doubt having been chased properly off the the Long Water by the furious boss. He was at the landing stage with his uncertain girlfriend 4GIQ and another male, as the dominant Black-Headed Gull flew overhead, annoyed by the intrusion.

The Black Swan was clearly in a foul temper, and chased the male off to relieve his feelings.

The nesting basket at the Triangle was occupied by the female 4GZF, who was looking very depressed. She has just lost her mate 4GIS, apparently from boutulism.

It seems odd that there is an outbreak of Clostridium botulinum on the lake, as this normally happens only in hot weather. Waterfowl are fairly tolerant of it, as it's endemic on lake borders, but this seems to be an unusually hardy and virulent strain and several birds have died.

A pair of Egyptian Geese across the Serpentine Road from the boat hire building had five goslings, down from six yesterday. It's a dangerous place full of Herring Gulls and Carrion Crows.

The single Egyptian teenager was on the electric boat charging platform, surrounded by bizarre blue plastic mouldings. It seems to be very accident-prone and has another injury, this time to its right foot which is swollen. But nothing seems to be broken and it can walk, though it's limping.

A Great Crested Grebe dashed around under water at Fisherman's Keep.

The Grey Heron pair on the nest at the west end of the island were hunched up against a chilly day.

The heron on the upper nest had stood up to rearrange the twigs and make its bed more comfortable.

A Green Woodpecker on Buck Hill preened on a tree trunk. As a fire engine passed it called, replying not to the siren but to another Green Woodpecker which you can just hear in the distance.

In the Rose Garden a large crowd of Great Tits ...

... and Blue Tits ...

... and the pair of Coal Tits were waiting on a small hawthorn tree.

Both the Robins at Mount Gate came out together, now already on friendly terms. It was dark in the bushes and I only got a grainy picture of the male.

The two at the Buck Hill shelter also came out, but they are far from reunited and were chasing each other.

A fox rested on a dead tree across the lake from Peter Pan.