Black Swan on and off the ice

The Black Swan unwisely landed on a frozen part of the lake and found it unexpectedly difficult to walk to a patch of clear water.

The boss Mute Swan on the lake, with the ring Orange 4DTH, lost his mate 4EFI only five days ago for unknown causes. He hasn't wasted much time in mourning and today was already flirting with a new female, 4DTT. However the Black Swan, who has been more and more aggressive over the past few days, came over to break up their romance and even managed to chase him away.

One of the boss's six teenagers hatched last year was still stuck in the ice on the Long Water. Originally there were three here, but two escaped on to the open Serpentine. It could eat algae and wasn't in trouble, but it was having to share the hole with a lot of common Coots and clearly wasn't happy.

The teenager that managed to fly off the Long water and was seen heading south had a little adventure. Coming to the edge of the park it saw nothing but buildings ahead, realised its mistake, and landed on the grass beside the West Carriage Drive. But now it didn't know where it was. Luckily Jon happened to be passing on his bicycle. He always carries a swan bag, so he grabbed the swan, bagged it, and carried it to the Serpentine where it joined the four others.

The other teenager that flew off the Long Water went in the right direction and landed on the Serpentine without incident.

The Great Crested Grebes at the Vista were also still stuck, but they seemed calm  and were cruising around. The ice has now melted up to the edge of the waterfront, so they have more space to fish.

A little group of Gadwalls stood on the ice near the Italian Garden.

The Diana fountain was closed during the freeze and still hadn't reopened. This was perfect for the Greylag and Canada Geese, as they had a place to graze protected from dogs. The two Bar-Headed x Greylag hybrids from St James's Park were also here.

A young Herring Gull on a still frozen part of the Serpentine played with a leaf in a hole in the ice.

Pigeon Eater was on the ice by the Dell restuarant, eyeing the pigeons on the shore. In fact he couldn't attack from this side, as his little feet would have no grip and he couldn't run.

The edge of the lake is now ice-free, and the Pied Wagtail was back hunting near Fisherman's Keep.

A Jay waited for a peanut in a bush next to the bridge ...

... and another was with a Magpie in a tree nearer the Vista.

However, they always have problems getting their peanuts here, as the Carrion Crows are wary, fast and ruthless. I love crows but they do make things difficult.

There was a mob of small birds waiting for pine nuts in the Flower Walk, including the local female Chaffinch ...

... and a Robin in a yew hedge at the Queen's Gate crossing.

The Robin by the Buck Hill shelter is now completely confident, and perched on my hand to taken seven pine nuts.

A Blue Tit looked expectant in the Rose Garden ...

... and a Coal Tit perched in a rose bush.

The grebes are all right

The Great Crested Grebes have survived the last freezing night trapped in the ice on the Long Water, and it's now beginning to melt. Meanwhile, they should be able to catch some fish in the clear water under the bushes.

A Coot preened in the reeds in one of the Italian Garden fountains.

The sixth teenage Mute Swan which was missing yesterday has turned up. One was still on the Long Water ...

... and the other five in a clear patch on the Serpentine.

The single teenager was also there with its parents. In the background you can see the open water where the remaining ducks have assembled, many of them from the Long Water.

There are still about 20 Common Pochards left, from over 80 for much of last year ...

... and two Red-Crested Pochard drakes.

It's so good that've they pointed this out -- you might not have noticed otherwise.

A grisly video: a Grey Heron had caught a rat in a reed bed and proceeded to kill it. Drowning didn't work, so it resorted to stabbing it.

Pigeon Eater and his mate were calling together by the Dell restaurant.

A Dunnock looked for insects and worms in fallen leaves at the foot of Buck Hill.

A male Blackbird found a small larva in a flower bed in the Rose Garden.

A female fussed in a tree near the Italian Garden.

Both the Coal Tits were waiting in the Dell.

A Robin at Peter Pan came out on a bench to be fed.

The male Robin at Mount Gate ...

... and the female were lined up on the railings as I passed on my way home.

A surprise Little Owl

A great surprise on a freezing day: a male Little Owl calling from a lime tree by the Serpentine Gallery. I'm fairly sure that this is the one hatched nearby last year, as his father is absolutely tiny.

Of course the small birds were furiously hungry, and there was a lot of feeding to be done. A Robin looked out from the corkscrew hazel bush in the Flower Walk ...

... and another waited in a frozen flower bed in the Rose Garden.

The Coal Tits were in the cercis bush.

The male Chaffinch looked down from the pergola.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker called from the top of a tree near Temple Gate.

Starlings bathed in the icy Serpentine. Understandably they didn't stay in long.

A Jackdaw was waiting on the edge.

A Jay flew into a tree by the Vista.

In the Long Water below a pair of Great Crested Grebes were hemmed in by the ice. They can't fly out because they need a long takeoff run on water, and they're hopeless at walking, so they're stuck. They were diving when I first saw them, and they can catch fish under the ice, but they seemed aware of their plight and quite agitated. Tonight is another freezing night but it's the last one. As long as they can keep a clear patch of water by moving around, they have a reasonable chance.

The single grebe on the Serpentine still has plenty of open water. There is a slight wind which, with luck, will keep the lake here from freezing any more -- but that doesn't affect the Long Water which is sheltered by trees and always freezes quickly.

Coots are much less sure-footed on ice than the Moorhen I filmed yesterday.

These are two of three young Mute Swans in one of the few clear patches on the Long Water.

There were two more on the Serpentine, not counting the solitary teenager at the far end. At eleven this morning the sixth young swan was seen flying from the Long Water, having somehow managed to take off from the short open stretch. It was headed south, and when I passed the Serpentine later it had not come down there. Let's hope it doesn't get lost.

The single young Egyptian Goose has been thrown out by its parents and is now not seen every day. It was at the east end of the Serpentine, and hurried over to be fed.

The Pochards have had to leave the Long Water. There were a few on the Serpentine but it looks as if most of them have flown away. They migrate, so they know their way around.

A Grey Heron was fishing from the nesting basket at the Triangle.

There are still two Cormorants on the Serpentine, which were perched on their favourite dead branches at the island.

Patricia shot this video on her phone at half past eight this morning. A fox ventured out on the the frozen Long Water, where the ice is already thick enough to bear its weight. A goose fled, and in the second clip you can hear the call of an agitated Egyptian.

Water Rail on the ice

Today's top pictures are by Duncan Campbell, who found the elusive Water Rail on the Long Water out on the ice.

It took off and flew to the other side.

Coots clustered on the edge of the ice.

They are slightly unsteady when walking on ice. Thanks again to Duncan for this picture.

But Moorhens' enormous feet enable them to walk without slipping.

A Black-Headed Gull examined a bit of wood.

A Grey Heron had no clear water to fish in.

But this wasn't a problem, as it could fly to the still unfrozen Serpentine.

The sitting heron in the top nest on the island could just be seen. Sometimes it sits lower and is completely invisible.

The Black Swan has been quite aggressive in the past few days. He was chasing a Mute male who had done nothing to annoy him.

A fine picture by Tom of Pintails flying at Rainham Marshes.

He also reports that a White Pelican was seen flying upriver. Apparently it has flown out of a park at Watford. It can't rendezvous with the pelicans in St James's Park as these have been shut up because of the bird flu scare.

At the southwest corner of the bridge a pair of Robins came out together, too hungry to squabble over territory.

The male at Mount Gate ...

... and the female stay well apart, though I have seen them squabbling when they got too close.

The two Coal Tits in the Dell were chasing each other through a plane tree, calling loudly. They came down to the corkscrew hazel bush to be fed, still calling.

There were a lot of Blue Tits in the Rose Garden. You see more of them here than anywhere else in the park.

The male Chaffinch waited in a tree.

A Carrion Crow at the Dell restaurant was doing its best to look sweet.