A bit of sunshine

A sunny day was a welcome change. Cherry blossom in the Rose Garden attracted a Blue Tit ...

... and a Great Tit ...

... while a Coal Tit perched on a lichen-encrusted hawthorn twig.

When a pair of Great Tits are together you can see the difference between the male, on the right here, with a broad black stripe down his front and the female with a narrow one.

A Coal Tit came out in a dogwood bush at Mount Gate ...

... while I was photographing the female Robin, who was impatient at the delay in giving her some pine nuts.

The Robin at the southwest corner of the bridge has a mate, though it's still very shy and stays in the bushes so I don't have a picture of it.

A Jackdaw waited in a tree by the Italian Garden ...

... and a Carrion Crow on an umbrella at the Lido restaurant was doing its best to look sweet and fluffy.

All three dominant Black-Headed Gulls on the Serpentine were on view, the Czech visitor at the east end ...

... Blue 2331 halfway along on the usual post ...

... and the one from the landing stage patrolling the west end.

The Grey Heron chick in the top nest on the island could be seen a bit more clearly bouncing around in the nest while a parent stood above. The scene was disturbed by the arrival of another heron, which was chased away. I could only see one chick, but usually it turns out that there are more than you saw early on.

The upper west nest is now constantly attended and seems to be a going concern.

The fallen tree at the Peter Pan waterfront is a favourite perch for Cormorants, and even at this time of year when most of them have left the park you can always find a few here.

A pair of Moorhens wandered around the near end of the tree.

The boss Mute Swan on the Long Water preened on the gravel strip while his mate cruised nearby. They have still shown little interest in the nesting island, but he knows what it's for and will lead her to it when the time comes.

Crocuses are coming out on the little hummocks between the Albert Memorial and Mount Gate. The bumpy ground here is the remains of Charles Bridgeman's 70 ft tall Prospect Mount, demolished in the early 19th century when the trees around it had grown too tall and blocked the view it was built to provide.