Cygnets out on the water

Every year several Starlings nest in the eaves of the Buck Hill shelter. They were flying in and out bringing insects and larvae to their young.

The young Starlings at the back of the Lido are out already, chasing their parents through the trees.

A female Great Tit came out of a nest in a drain hole in the stonework of the Queen's Temple. The pair have had the good sense to nest on top of the drainpipe, so they won't get washed away when it rains.

A male Blackcap perched in a tree behind the temple.

The Coal Tit which we now know is the male of the pair was waiting in a tree in the Dell.

A female Blackbird could be seen in the leaf yard.

The old male Chaffinch in the Flower Walk is still getting around, and as always eager for pine nuts.

There was a young female with him. I haven't seen her before, but she accepted a pine nut.

The Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery was just visible in a lime tree. I've been carelessly assuming that there was a lone male here, as I have seen no evidence at all of a pair. But this owl looks very female, round and with fairly small eyebrows. This needs watching.

Ahmet Amerikali got a good shot of a Reed Warbler  collecting nesting material in the reeds by the Diana fountain ...

... and a horrifying picture of a Jay snatching a young Great Tit.

The Coots evicted from the raft by the Black Swan have stubbornly returned and were beginning to lay twigs for a new nest.

They mated defiantly on the raft.

The Mute Swan from the nest by the Serpentine outflow guided her five cygnets across the lake. There were originally six, but a Herring Gull or a Grey Heron has taken one already.

The pair nesting on the gravel strip on the Long Water had a pair of Canada Geese right next to them, but everything was peaceful for the time being.

The Egyptian Geese near the Triangle still had eleven goslings, and were taking them to graze beside the horse ride.

A Mandarin drake came over to the Vista.

An enormous Buff-Tailed Bumblebee browsed on pansies in a Rose Garden border. This must surely be a queen.