Common Sandpipers on the Long Water

Today's stars were two Common Sandpipers that Duncan Campbell found on the fallen poplar at Peter Pan. They obligingly stayed there while he went home and got his good camera.

The Goldcrest in the yew in the leaf yard was singing again and put in an appearance.

A Robin collected midges on the other side of the path.

The Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery  came out in the afternoon, hard to see among the leaves.

Ahmet Amerikali found the male Grey Wagtail on the chain at the bridge, also finding midges for the nestlings.

He also got a shot of one of the Reed Warblers in the reeds under the Diana fountain.

A female Blackbird rooted furiously in leaf litter beside the path at the bridge.

The Coots' nest at the bridge was a busy scene, ornamented with oak and poplar leaves and with a good clutch of eggs. It's a pity it's in such a bad place, where a passing Herring Gull can snatch chicks whenever it gets the chance.

Moorhens like to rest next to things, perhaps to make themselves less conspicuous. Anything will do, whether it's a cleat on the boat hire platform ...

... or the six eldest Egyptian goslings.

A young Grey Heron and a Mandarin drake shared a tree beside the Long Water.

The Canada Goose family, always on the move, approached the bridge to go on to the Serpentine.

A second pair of Canadas is now interested in the Long Water nesting island that this pair used.

A male Brimstone butterfly drank nectar from lilac blossom in the Flower Walk.

A Dark-Edged Bee Fly browsed on a wallflower in the Rose Garden border.

A ladybird on a rose bush looked superficially like a native British species, but unfortunately it turned out to be an invasive Harlequin in one of its more normal patterns. Whatever their colour and pattern, the white patches on the head give the  game away.

When the wind is in the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast

There was a strong east wind. A pair of Lesser Black-Backed Gulls on the boat hire platform sat down to avoid being blown about.

A pair of Herring Gulls were made of stronger stuff and exchanged affectionate calls until they were interrupted by a third.

The Mute Swan 4FUL nesting at the end of the Lido restaurant terrace stood up to preen her ruffled feathers. She has seven eggs.

The Black Swan, 4GIQ on her nest and the nesting Coot were pitched about by the waves. Birds don't seem to get seasick.

The Canada Goose family were partly sheltered by the bridge.

The willow at the bridge, already partly collapsed, had lost another large chunk, more because it was old and decaying than from the wind.

The Coot nesting on the other side of the bridge had taken advantage of the mess to add leaves to its nest. These are poplar and other leaves, torn off as the willow branch fell past.

A Coot egg was oddly poised on a post. Evidently the bird had been taken short and perched on the nearest available object.

There was just one Egyptian Goose on the Huntress fountain. This may be a sign that the female of the pair is nesting in a tree. I don't think this couple have ever bred before.

The Grey Heron nesting at the east end of the island got up and turned round to find a more comfortable position.

The Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery was dozing on a branch, hard to see among the leaves.

A male Blackcap jumped about on a high branch beside the Long Water.

There weren't many customers for pine nuts as there is an abundance of insects, but the male Robin at Mount Gate emerged from the bushes when called ...

... and a single Great Tit waited on a twig.

A squirrel ran up the enormous ash tree by the Dell, reminding me of Ratatosk in Norse myth, the squirrel who runs up and down the ash tree Yggdrasil passing scurrilous rumours between an eagle and a serpent and spreading conflict and chaos in the world. 

A Brimstone butterfly did a fine impersonation of the leaf next to it.

A Holly Blue perched on a holly leaf. I think this is the first time I've managed to photograph one on the tree it's named after.

A Buff-Tailed Bumblebee browsed on a green alkanet flower. More are appearing after a slow start with the bee world dominated by an enormous number of Hairy-Footed Flower Bees.

At least seven singing Reed Warblers

A Pied Wagtail ran along the edge of the Serpentine collecting midges. I wonder where the pair's nest is. They like holes in the walls of old buildings, but there are none near so they may have chosen a tree hole.

A Starling shone in the sunlight a short way along the shore.

Two male Reed Warblers were singing in the reeds at the east end of the Serpentine, three by the Diana fountain, and two more on the Long Water. This is one under the Italian Garden, photographed by Ahmet Amerikali.

I hadn't seen the Robin at the southwest corner of the bridge for some time. There seems to be a pair here, so probably they were busy nesting. Today the usual one reappeared and took several pine nuts as if nothing had happened.

The male at Mount Gate arrived alone. It seems pretty certain that his mate is nesting here.

A Jay was waiting near the east side of the Italian Garden, one of two that are usually here and may be a pair.

The two young Grey Herons from the first nest were on the Long Water again, still keeping together with the companionship of nestmates.

There was a sitting heron on the nest at the east end of the island. It's almost certain that this is the fourth active nest this year.

The Great Crested Grebes' nest on the chain below is still intact.

The other grebe was fishing by the shore.

The Coots nesting at the south edge of the Peter Pan waterfront have been less lucky than last year, and seem to be down to their last chick.

Predictably, the pair nesting on the post lost their chicks with a day.

The Canada Geese from the Long Water often bring their three goslings under the bridge on to the Serpentine. Today they were by the Diana fountain landing stage.

The Black Swan, supervising his Mute mate on the nest, made a vague show of adding sticks to it but couldn't be bothered to put them on the platform. The nest doesn't need sticks anyway, but he has nothing else to do.

There was only one Egyptian Goose in the shadow of the Henry Moore sculpture, probably a sign that the female is nesting again.

The six eldest goslings on the Serpentine were sprawling on the shore beside their parents.

There were no remarkable insects on show in the Rose Garden, just Honeybees on the wallflowers ...

... and a Greenbottle fly on a polyanthus leaf.

The roses are getting under way. A yellow one had a frame of forget-me-nots.

Green Woodpecker by the Long Water

A Green Woodpecker, one of a pair, nattered and climbed a tree near the Italian Garden.

There was a Jay a few feet away but it dodn't seem bothered, unlike the nearby Song Thrushes which were whirring at it angrily.

This is a Song Thrush from the next nest along the path, gathering insects and a worm for its young on the grass under the Henry Moore sculpture.

A Robin sang in a tree at the edge of the lawn.

Another Robin perched in a small cercis bush in the Flower Walk.

A Long-Tailed Tit paused in a tree by the Italian Garden.

The Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery came out in the afternoon.

A Reed Warbler sang in the reeds by the Diana fountain, one of three singing males here.

Both the Grey Wagtails were hunting from the posts at the bridge, taking bundles of midges to their nest at the Triangle.

The Grey Heron in the nest at the east end of the island got up to adjust some twigs and sat down again. It seems well established, but you never know with herons.

A Coot nesting on a fallen Lombardy poplar by the Vista had decorated its nest with a bit of pink ribbon.

A Great Crested Grebe was vaguely heaping up strands of algae on the Serpentine. This would be nesting behaviour if there was anywhere to put a nest, but there isn't on the hard edge of the Serpentine. The pair would be well advised to try for a site on the Long Water, where the north end is presently without a grebe nest.

The Black Swan was at the nest basket with 4GIQ, equally pointlessly shuffling bits of stick around.

The Canada pair from the Long Water took their goslings on an expedition around the Serpentine, going beyond the Lido before returning under the bridge.

A fox dozing in the sunshine by the Henry Moore sculpture woke up, looked around, and walked away into the bushes.

A rat looked out cautiously from the reed bed east of the Lido.

A male Hairy-Footed Flower Bee climbed over a green alkanet flower by Temple Gate.

I think this hoverfly in the Rose Garden border is a Narcissus Bulb Fly, Merodon equestris.