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.

Little Owl still on view

The Little Owl at the Serpentine was in the lime tree again, looking down with mild interest between the leaves.

A Jay near the Italian Garden ...

... was attracting the anger of a pair of Song Thrushes. One was in the back of the tree whirring furiously, and the other was on the next tree glaring at it.

A Magpie perched in cherry blossom near Peter Pan.

A Blue Tit ate a pine nut in the Rose Garden.

Ahmet Amerikali got good pictures of a Robin by the bridge bringing insects to its nest ...

... and a Pied Wagtail doing the same with a fantastic haul of midges.

An anonymous contributor found a Reed Warbler singing in the Diana fountain reed bed, one of three singing males here and there are others on the Long Water and at the east end of the Serpentine.

There was a Grey Heron in the west nest again. It still seems unlikely that they're serious about nesting here.

A Coot had a faceoff with a heron in the reeds east of the Lido. There seemed to be no reason for this, except pehaps that Coots hate everbody.

The Coots nesting under the Italian Garden still have four chicks in spite of the pike that infest the water here. They preened while one of the pair brought a stick to the nest.

The Black Swan guarding his Mute mate's nest on the floating basket had nothing much to do, and idly picked up twigs and algae and dropped them in the water. On land this would be nesting behaviour. Here it's just fidgeting.

The Canada Geese on the Long Water have three left of their original five goslings. They have gone on a little expedition to the bridge.

An Egyptian Goose posed grandly on the head of a nymph in the Italian Garden.

The Egyptians at the Triangle boldly took their four surviving goslings past a bunch of swans.

Four terrapins were lined up on a branch opposite Peter Pan. They don't breed here as it's too cold and a while ago the population dropped to two, but now it's up again as people dump their pets when they grow too large and snappy.

A Holly Blue butterfly perched on a leaf near the bridge. I like their stripy socks matching their antennae.

A Seven-Spot Ladybird climbed over a False Spiraea in the Rose Garden.

The Little Owl reappears

The Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery called from a lime tree. He was perching here rather than in the old chestnut tree where his hole is because this tree has leaves to give him cover, and the chestnut doesn't yet.

A Blue Tit looked for insects in the Cootamundra wattle tree on the north edge of the Rose Garden.

The female Blackbird nesting in the Dell was out looking for worms in the wood chips under the trees.

A Reed Warbler sang in the reeds east of the Lido.

A Grey Heron has returned to the nest at the west end of the island. I don't think it's a sign that it will be nesting. This place has never been successful.

The Great Crested Grebes by the island were fussing around their nest perilously built on a chain. The round thing in the nest isn't an egg, it's a crusty old ball dragged out of the lake and included in the nest for some reason. It must have been quite hard for them to move it.

At 15 seconds into the video you can hear the Cetti's Warbler on the island singing. This is the one at the Vista, photographed by Ahmet Amerikali.

A grebe was fishing around the wire baskets at the bridge.

A Coot brought a leaf to its mate on the nesting basket at the Triangle, ignoring the sitting Mute Swan 4GIQ a few feet away.

The Coot nest on the buoys at the Lido is now complete and occupied, but I don't think it will produce any chicks. This site has never succeeded, which of course doesn't stop the Coots from trying again and again.

The swan at the Lido restaurant was dozing on her nest. She's having a peaceful time because the restaurant people have parked a large ice cream van in front of the site, so people aren't noticing it.

The Canada Geese were on the gravel strip at the Vista with two of there goslings visible through a gap in the leaves.

The six largest young Egyptians cruised past Fisherman's Keep with their mother.

The sole survivor of last year's goslings has had terrible luck with his feet. He had a leg injury and recovered, and then got a badly swollen toe. Just as this was healing it flared up again and is now clearly painful. He is going to be taken to the Swan Sanctuary to be looked after and won't be returned. He has no companions here and won't miss anyone.

Two terrapins basked on the fallen horse chestnut in the Long Water, which has now mostly disintegrated and has become incorporated in a reed bed. The one of the left is a Red-Eared Slider; you can see the red stripe on its head.

The first damselfly of the year appeared in the Dell, a female Common Blue.

Holly Blue butterflies have been flying for several days, but this one by the Vista is the first that stayed still long enough for a hasty picture.

Reed Bunting and Clouded Yellow

A pair of Blackbirds nesting in the Dell hopped around under the trees collecting worms and caterpillars for their nestlings.

Ahmet Amerikali found a male Reed Bunting in the reed bed under the Diana fountain, where there are also three singing Reed Warblers.

A Goldcrest sang in the yew tree on the north edge of the leaf yard.

One of the Long-Tailed Tits nesting on the edge of the Ranger's Lodge garden came out on a twig.

A Chiffchaff sang above it in the top of a sycamore.

Very few small birds came to be fed, but there are always some Great Tits. The leaves of the corkscrew hazel in the Dell are almost as twisted as its twigs.

The male Robin of the pair at Mount Gate collected pine nuts. I haven't seen the female for several days, and hope she's nesting.

A Jay looked expectant near the Italian Garden ...

... and a Carrion Crow watched from the red-leafed cherry tree in the Rose Garden.

Pigeon Eater and his mate were away, and another pair of Lesser Black-Backed Gulls were claiming his place on the Dell restaurant roof.

There are three Grey Heron chicks in the third nest on the island, quite hard to see high in the tree above the second nest.

The Black Swan swaggered about chasing the Mute Swans away from his nest ...

... where a Coot glared sullenly at 4GIQ.

A pair of Egyptian Geese stood on the lower bowl of the marble fountain in the Italian Garden as Coots passed with their chicks in the lake below.

The six Egyptian goslings from the first brood are getting their flight feathers.

A pair of Mallards were enjoying the Huntress fountain in the Rose Garden while the resident Egyptians were away on the lawn.

A Clouded Yellow butterfly perched on a pansy in the herbaceous border. This is the first one I've seen in the park.

Much commoner but still pretty, a Small White fed on a dandelion in the Dell.