Chiffchaff singing

Chiffchaffs are singing all over Kensington Gardens. This one was at the foot of Buck Hill, and unusually it stayed in the same place for half a minute.

A Blue Tit looked out from the dogwood bushes in the Dell, just beginning to blossom.

Ahmet Amerikali found the Cetti's Warbler at the Vista ...

... and a Wren near Mount Gate.

Magpies clustered in the variegated holly tree south of the Vista, always a popular place for them.

The male Pied Wagtail's sore foot seems to be getting better and he was running along the edge of the lake, though still limping slightly. Hecaught a passing midge, hardly having to reach for it.

A Little Grebe calling on the far side of the Vista gave a distant view which showed that there's a pair here.

They tend to lurk under the bushes at the edge of the lake, but you can see them in the open when they cross to the other side. As this one went, it kept looking under the surface to see if there were any small fish.

A Great Crested Grebe brought a twig to the nest in the reeds by the Serpentine outflow.

The pair left to go fishing, and the nest was immediately occupied by a Coot.

A pair of grebes can always get a Coot off a nest, but the Coot keeps doggedly coming back and usually wins the contest. Actually it would be a good thing if the grebes couldn't nest now. There aren't yet enough small fish to feed the chicks. However, if the Little Grebes on the Long Water were to nest (and a pair has nested before) they might manage to raise chicks as they have the knack of shaking a fish violently till it disintegrates and feeding the bits to the chicks. This trick has not occurred to their larger relatives, though they could easily do it if only they got the idea.

Another Coot was making a nest in a very silly place on the open shore.

The Mandarin drake that was with the pair on the Serpentine had gone off by himself and was at the Vista.

A Mute Swan at the Lido turned upside down as it had a furious wash.

Egyptian goslings are now turning up all round the Serpentine. There was the original pair still with six at Fisherman's Keep ...

... a pair with six east of the Lido ...

... another with eight at the swimming area ...

... and one with five on the other side by the boathouses.

In the Rose Garden a male Hairy-Footed Flower Bee flew to a wallflower.