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.

Looking for backgrounds

A pair of Long-Tailed Tits are building a nest in the mixed hedge around the Ranger's Cottage garden. The nest is safely out of sight in holly, but the birds could be seen jumping around in a section of hornbeam.

A pink camellia bush in the Flower Walk made a picturesque background for a Coal Tit ...

... and a Great Tit ...

... who then followed me to a blossoming cherry tree and provided more photo opportunities.

There were plenty of Greenfinches in several places around the Long Water, including a group of six by Magazine Gate. This male was in the usual Greenfinch tree north of Peter Pan.

A Blackbird perched in a tree on the other side of the path.

A Jackdaw waited on a lichen-encrusted branch beside the Serpentine Road.

The older two Grey Heron chicks have been climbing out of their nest for some time, but now the younger three are also getting the urge to wander.

The two are now spending most of their time in the larger nest below the small high one where they were hatched. It's more comfortable and not so exposed to the chilly wind.

A heron was fishing in the reeds by the Italian Garden.

The dead willow that stood in this reed bed has now collapsed. A Moorhen stood on a branch.

The Great Crested Grebe nest farther down the reeds seems to be a going concern.

A pair on the other side of the lake rested beside an unoccupied Coot nest. They were probably intending to take it over. It's a great advantage for grebes to have a well made nest rather than the sloppy mess that's the best they can manage themselves.

A pair fishing together on the Serpentine took a moment to exchange courtesies.

A Coot brought a strand of dead grass to its mate to line the nest by the bridge.

There were five new Egyptian goslings by the boathouses, which their parents were taking to the water as a dog approached.

Twelve Shovellers were visible on the Long Water, more than usually seen here. I'm not sure whether they are flying in and out or whether some of them are simply lurking under bushes out of sight.

News has come in that the shop at the boat hire place is to close at the end of the month. They had been having a clearance sale for several weeks, so this doesn't come as a surprise. The policy of stocking luxurious frivolities at eye-watering prices was a gamble, and it hasn't come off. The Bluebird Boats people had the sense to sell a fair selection of reasonably cheap children's toys that were good instant buys to pacify a squalling brat. They also sold duck pellets for feeding the waterfowl healthily, but of course that was before the rigid ban of feeding the birds (of which no one takes any notice).

I don't think much of the way the pedalos are run either. At busy times they aren't getting enough ready and queues are so long that people go away. They close every Monday and Tuesday on a rigid schedule even on fine days when they could be operating profitably, but stay open on horrible days when no one wants a boat. Bluebird had the sense to respond to conditions, which must have been hard on the staff, but I would rather have worked for this humane firm than under the rigid rule of the park management.

The Bluebird staff cared for the birds, and if one was in trouble they would happily take a boat out to rescue it. Now, even if the official Wildlife Officer wants to use a boat he has to get written permission from a park manager, and by the time it comes a sick bird may have died.

Meandering?

A good selection of birds gathered at Mount Gate, but just the usual Great Tits and Robins, but a Long-Tailed Tit ...

... two Coal Tits ...

... a Jay ...

... and a Magpie under the currant bush.

A Blue Tit in the Rose Garden perched among budding leaves in a hawthorn. 

The Robin from the southwest corner of the bridge followed me to the Vista, taking pine nuts along the way.

Greenfinches were moving around in the trees north of Peter Pan. They have been breeding here for several years.

The familiar male Chaffinch was in the Flower Walk, dwarfed by the big leaves and flowers of a magnolia.

The official Kensington Gardens web page describes the walk as 'meandering', a strange word to use for a path that runs dead straight for 200 yards.

The flower patch in the Rose Garden made a pretty background for a Carrion Crow. It started as a patch of native wildflowers, but now this seems to have been forgotten and it's miniature narcissi and squills.

A male Pied Wagtail was hunting in the little waves raised on the Serpentine by a brisk wind. This is the one that had a sore foot from an attack of avian pox, but seems to be recovering and can now run though clearly it's still painful.

A female was a short way off on the boat hire platform, a good hunting place because the ridged planks retain bird droppings which attract insects.

The three Grey Heron chicks could be seen in their nest.

The herons in the park are unlike those anywhere else. They follow people around in the hope of getting fed.

The number of Cormorants seems to be going up, although the fish supply is still at its seasonal lowest. Seven stood on the fallen poplar at Peter Pan.

A female Great Crested Grebe on the Serpentine carried a leaf to her mate, not to do a dance or build a nest, but just as an encouraging sign that they might do either.

I keep hearing the Little Grebe on the Long Water but have only ever managed to see it once, at a distance. However, Ahmet Amerikali was in Southwark Park and got a good view of one on the small lake where it's easier to see.

The six Egyptian goslings at Fisherman's Keep were enjoying a preening session. They're growing quickly, though far from out of danger yet.

Two Mandarin drakes and a female moved along the edge.

In the forsythia

The male Chaffinch who follows me around Kensington Gardens perched in the forsythia at Mount Gate ...

... and a Robin lurked inside the bush.

The other pair of Robins were out on the path expecting pine nuts.

A Blue Tit waited in cherry blossom in the Flower Walk.

Ahmet Amerikali got good pictures of a Chiffchaff on the east side of the Long Water ...

... and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker by the Vista.

Both the Grey Wagtails were at the edge of the Lido restaurant terrace. This is the male, with a black bib.

He flew over to the non-slip rubber matting on the Lido jetty. Bird droppings collect in the grooves and attract insects, so it's a good hunting ground.

Both of the older pair of Grey Heron chicks are now starting to wander out of their nest. Here they are standing on an old nest below it and a short leap away. Soon they will be venturing farther, but always returning to the nest to be fed.

The three chicks in the second nest haven't yet reached the wandering stage.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes were building a nest in a reed bed on the Long Water. They were making it out of twigs and weed in the usual sloppy way. It didn't occur to them that they could make a much better nest out of reeds. The grebes in places such as the Norfolk Broads have learnt to use reeds, as there is nothing else available.

The abandoned grebe nest in the reed bed at the outflow has been taken over by Coots, who are rebuilding it properly.

Rival Coots fought and chased each other on the Serpentine. The loser was held under water till he submitted and crept away.

A pair of Mute Swans were beginning to collect twigs and rubbish to make a nest beside one of the boathouses. The place is protected by railings, but it's still too public and no swans have ever succeeded here.

The Black Swan was still obsessively following 4GIQ.

The Egyptian Geese at Fisherman's Keep were shepherding their six young into the water as a dog approached. Sunny weekends with lots of visitors and their dangerous pets are a stressful time for them.

A pair of Mallards dabbled in fallen leaves under the balcony of the Dell restaurant.

A male Hairy-Footed Flower Bee fed on a wallflower in the Rose Garden.