Two young herons

The two young Grey Herons in the top nest on the Serpentine island are now big enough to be clearly seen over the top of the nest. They are already getting their flight feathers. As they lurched and flapped about, their parents kept out of the way in a nearby nest.

The nest a few yards to the west of it is also going ahead well and it seems likely that there will be eggs soon.

On the shore below, the Pied Wagtail fearlessly ran under my feet.

A Black-Headed Gull was wondering how to swallow a large piece of cake from the snack bar in the boat hire building.

Pigeon Eater, not seen for several days, was back on his station calling to his mate.

In the Rose Garden a Coal Tit ...

... a Blue Tit ...

... and the familiar male Chaffinch collected in a small hawthorn tree.

Hawthorns attract a heavy growth of lichen, which is populated by insects and therefore brings insect-eating birds. When I was a boy in the 1950s there was no lichen anywhere in London, as the air was too dirty for it to grow. The Clean Air Act of 1957 forbade the burning of ordinary coal in fireplaces, and since then the air has improved sufficiently for lichen to return.

A Jackdaw thought I hadn't noticed it, and flapped and called for attention.

The large blossoming paperbush in the Flower Walk made a background for a Great Tit ...

... and a Robin.

Starlings chattered on a railing near the Buck Hill shelter, where they will soon be nesting in the eaves.

Ahmet Amerikali photographed a Goldcrest beside the Long Water.

A Coot nesting in the Italian Garden fountains carefully placed a stick in a position that pleased it.

Another pair of Mute Swans occupied the nesting basket east of the Lido. They never stay long at present, but at least they are interested in it. The other two baskets are more visible from the shore, and this seems to be putting the swans off as they have shown no interest in either of them.

The big male 4FYY was nearby, showing off to his mate 4FUF by bullying the other swans. He has staked out a nest site in the east end of the reed bed, a place which although onshore and exposed to foxes has succeeded several times.

A pair of Pochards were reflected in the calm water.

Two Japanese Pagoda trees trained to a stiff upright shape have been planted on either side of Peter Pan. Judging by the tree near the Rose Garden, they will grow quite large and pleasantly untidy. The slope behind has been smoothed out and will be planted with grass so that people can sit by the statue, quite a good idea for once.

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.

Cold and hungry

It was a cold day and hungry small birds flocked out to be fed. Great Tits and Blue Tits gathered in trees in the Rose Garden.

A Blue Tit perched in the small hawthorn ...

...beside the lone male Chaffinch ...

... and a Coal Tit fidgeted impatiently in a rose bush for a gap in the stream of larger birds. This one comes to my hand ...

... unlike the one at Temple Gate, which has a hard time getting pine nuts from the ground as these inevitably attract Feral Pigeons. Maybe it will copy the other tits and allow itself to be hand fed, as has happened in the Rose Garden and the Flower Walk.

The Robin in the corkscrew hazel in the Dell threatened the other birds in vain. They simply flew round it.

The female at Mount Gate emerged from her bush when called.

There was a pair of Jays at the back of the bushes, probably looking for worms.

A Blackbird was doing the same in the Triangle shrubbery.

I think there are two Grey Heron chicks in the top nest on the island, only faintly visible but marked by the arrows here. I shot several minutes of video but it showed less rather than more and none of it is worth putting up. They are getting quite noisy.

This lesser Black-Backed Gull has dark eyes. I think they go dark when the bird has had and recovered from bird flu. Since the outbreak two years ago several such gulls have appeared in the park. They seem to suffer no long-term ill effects, unlike the geese and swans which are often permanently blinded or paralysed.

A Cormorant perched on their favourite dead branch on the island.

The Black Swan came over as soon as he saw me. He is very fond of sunflower hearts.

A small group of Mute Swans were displaying at each other by the Lido. I think this is a kind of beauty contest where unpaired swans compete for mates.

Jenna found a pair of Canada Geese courting and mating on the Serpentine this morning and filmed them on her phone. The large geese -- Greylags and Canadas -- have more or less stopped nesting in the park because of the growing number of Herring Gulls that snatch their goslings. Now they nest in a safer place and bring in their young as soon as these are able to fly.

A pair of Gadwalls fed by the boat hire platform. These quiet, well behaved ducks are usually seen in pairs, a contrast with the noisy groups of Mallards.

Proper February weather

It was a thoroughly wet day with only a few pauses in the rain. A soggy Wood Pigeon ate flower buds in a myrobalan tree at the Triangle.

A Coal Tit in the Rose Garden was damp but eager to be fed.

A Blue Tit looked slightly dejected but came out too.

The Robin pair at Mount Gate were sheltering under their usual bush. This is the female.

Another Robin looked out from a dripping yew hedge in the Flower Walk.

The male Chaffinch had been keeping dry in a big yew. Their thick foliage gives the best shelter of any common tree.

The magnolia is beginning to come into flower, making a pretty background for  a Great Tit.

The pair of Long-Tailed Tits at the Vista were flitting about busily. I haven't yet seen one carrying nesting materials.

Jackdaws waited in a tree by the Italian Garden.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker called from a tree on Buck Hill.

The usual female Pied Wagtail hunting on the edge of the Serpentine ...

... was visited by her mate. They always keep some distance apart to avoid running into each other.

The dominant Black-Headed Gull at the landing stage was strutting about the rain-sodden planking.

The upper west Grey Heron nest on the island was busy with a pair adding twigs. One of them is young, hatched last year and still with a grey head.

A Great Crested Grebe wasn't worried by the downpour.

Neither was the Black Swan, who came over briskly for his daily treat of sunflower hearts.

The small camera that I use for video, which has been failing for some time, finally collapsed today. It's OK, I have a spare. Here to make up for the lack of videos are two from sunnier days.

A Blackbird looked for worms and insects on the edge of a bramble patch.

A Mallard drake showed off his iridescent head and secondaries as he preened on the edge of the Serpentine.