Return of the Peregrines

Both the Peregrines were on the Knightsbridge Barracks tower today, with the female -- on the left -- calling loudly to her mate.

A Wren chittered on a dead tree on the lawn east of the Dell ...

... and there was another inside the Dell on a stump.

I'm now intercepted daily by a very confident female Great Tit. She perches on my finger and slowly and carefully eats a pine nut, sometimes two, before taking another and flying away with it. This takes some time but I wouldn't dream of disturbing her routine. Thanks to Sato for taking this picture.

A Jay was looking impatient at Mount Gate.

A Magpie on the island had been bathing, and vigorously shook itself dry and preened.

Ahmet Amerikali got a good shot of a Reed Warbler at the Italian Garden.

One of the young Grey Wagtails was hunting on the edge of the Lido restaurant terrace. It doesn't take them long to become independent.

On a table above, the usual Grey Heron was soliciting titbits from the diners.

Sad news about one of the park regulars, the Black-Headed Gull with ring White 2331 who had a favourite post halfway along the south side of the Serpentine and dominated that area. He was found dead in Latvia, on Lake Engure near Mersrags, apparently killed by a raptor. We had no idea he was a visitor from so far away.

It's noticeable that two of the three dominant Black-Headed Gulls on the Serpentine have migrated over a considerable distance. The other is the Czech gull ET05.589/Orange 2V57. The third, the one who owns the landing stage by the Diana fountain, has no ring and we don't know where he goes in summer.

The Great Crested Grebe on the nest at the east end of the island had a boat pressed right up against it. The boat people have been asked not to moor boats so that they endanger the nest, but they have taken no notice and have just added another boat pushing the first one across. What a loss the old firm of Bluebird Boats is. All the staff really cared about the birds.

The Coots on the nesting raft absolutely refuse to leave, despite the Black Swan's attempts to evict them. I have a feeling that their persistence will win in the end.

The Mute Swan from the east end of the Serpentine was on the edge of the Dell restaurant terrace, hoping to win snacks by showing off her cygnets. She preened, so they all did.

The Mandarin was on the Long Water with her two ducklings. They were in a cloud of midges and were catching them, a useful source of protein for the growing ducklings.

A Red-Crested Pochard drake cruised by the Lido. They visit irregularly from the other parks.

The foxgloves in the Rose Garden are popular with the Buff-Tailed Bumblebees, which can only be photographed as they emerge from each flower.

This is a White-Tailed Bumblebee feeding on a sisyrhynchium. Its stripes are bright lemon yellow and there is no trace of buff at the border of its white tail.

I'm not sure what this bee is. It seems too early in the season for the Common Carders to get bleached and worn. It has quite dark wings.

But I'm pretty sure that this hoverfly on a catnip flower is Eupeodes luniger. There are other similar species of Eupeodes but this one seems to fit exactly.

The forgetful Mandarin

The female Mandarin on the Long Water still has two ducklings. She headed off across the lake at the Vista, not noticing that only one was following her.

The one that was left behind ran frantically along the edge, piping pitifully ...

... and skirting a drake which may or may not have been its father, but was unconcerned about protecting it.

Fortunately the mother heard it and came back, fending off a Herring Gull on the way. But now she had a further problem, as there were three drakes here, two of which were hostile and had to be kept from harassing the ducklings.

The single surviving Coot chick at Peter Pan was also in trouble, as a Grey Heron had taken the nest as a fishing station ...

... and it was stuck in the middle of the lake, fortunately being looked after by a parent.

The Coots nesting under the balcony of the Dell restaurant, one of whose chicks was snatched by Pigeon Eater on Friday, still have two.

The Egyptian Geese on the Serpentine had managed to hang on to eleven goslings for another day. They were at the Triangle.

The Canada pair with three were guarding them carefully on the edge east of the Lido.

Several families of Starlings are being raised in the woodland at the back of the Lido, a noisy business.

A Wren in a plane tree on the other side of the path was collecting food for nestlings.

So was the male Coal Tit in the Dell. The nest is well hidden in the yew tree at the southeast corner.

Another pair of Coal Tits has appeared at the Serpentine Gallery.

A young Long-Tailed Tit was flitting about behind the Queen's Temple.

A Blackbird foraged at the edge of the leaf yard.

A Jackdaw waited in a catalpa tree near the Italian Garden.

A Magpie perched on the worn Bath stone arch of the Serpentine bridge, which is 200 years old this year. Repairs are going ahead at the usual glacial pace.

The Lamb's Ears, Stachys byzantina, in the Rose Garden is coming into flower. It's a favourite with Buff-Tailed Bumblebees.

Cygnets out on the water

Every year several Starlings nest in the eaves of the Buck Hill shelter. They were flying in and out bringing insects and larvae to their young.

The young Starlings at the back of the Lido are out already, chasing their parents through the trees.

A female Great Tit came out of a nest in a drain hole in the stonework of the Queen's Temple. The pair have had the good sense to nest on top of the drainpipe, so they won't get washed away when it rains.

A male Blackcap perched in a tree behind the temple.

The Coal Tit which we now know is the male of the pair was waiting in a tree in the Dell.

A female Blackbird could be seen in the leaf yard.

The old male Chaffinch in the Flower Walk is still getting around, and as always eager for pine nuts.

There was a young female with him. I haven't seen her before, but she accepted a pine nut.

The Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery was just visible in a lime tree. I've been carelessly assuming that there was a lone male here, as I have seen no evidence at all of a pair. But this owl looks very female, round and with fairly small eyebrows. This needs watching.

Ahmet Amerikali got a good shot of a Reed Warbler  collecting nesting material in the reeds by the Diana fountain ...

... and a horrifying picture of a Jay snatching a young Great Tit.

The Coots evicted from the raft by the Black Swan have stubbornly returned and were beginning to lay twigs for a new nest.

They mated defiantly on the raft.

The Mute Swan from the nest by the Serpentine outflow guided her five cygnets across the lake. There were originally six, but a Herring Gull or a Grey Heron has taken one already.

The pair nesting on the gravel strip on the Long Water had a pair of Canada Geese right next to them, but everything was peaceful for the time being.

The Egyptian Geese near the Triangle still had eleven goslings, and were taking them to graze beside the horse ride.

A Mandarin drake came over to the Vista.

An enormous Buff-Tailed Bumblebee browsed on pansies in a Rose Garden border. This must surely be a queen.

Too tough even for a Wood Pigeon

A Wood Pigeon tried to eat withered fruit in a myrobalan tree at the Triangle, maybe left over from last year. A Wood Pigeon can eat most things but these leathery remains seemed too tough even for it.

The Great Tit nesting on the lamp post behind the Lido arrived with a caterpillar for the chicks.

A Robin looked out from pink hawthorn blossom in the Rose Garden.

The Huntress fountain in the Rose Garden, recently restored at huge expense with a new marble basin, will only run for a few days at a time before it gets blocked up with limescale from the hard London water. But it's working well enough now to give a Carrion Crow somewhere to refresh itself.

A crow at the Lido ate a piece of meat kindly provided by the mysterious visitor. I have seen him a couple of times but never spoken, and mostly you never see him at all.

A crow and a Grey Heron strutted down the edge of the Lido side by side, eyeing each other with hostility but not ready to start an actual fight.

A Jay waited at the Vista, one of my regular customers expecting peanuts. But if they start getting meat they'll scorn mere peanuts, as the crows are already beginning to do.

The Little Owl at the Serpentine Gallery was well hidden by leaves, and this feeble picture is the best shot I could manage from any angle.

The stranded young Black-Headed Gull was in its usual place at Fisherman's Keep catching midges.

A Coot had started a nest in an even sillier place than usual, on the bare edge of the lake at the Triangle. When the nesting instinct takles hold of them they are unstoppbale.

The ill-fated nest on the post at Peter Pan has been restarted -- as Dr Johnson said when a friend married for the second time, the triumph of hope over experience.

The Mute Swan 4DTT seemed finally settled on her nest on the gravel strip on the Long Water, but it's not certain yet whether she's established and sitting on eggs.

The same with 4FUF in the reeds east of the Lido. It's been a long on-and-off affair in both places.

At least the Egyptian Geese with six teenagers have done everything right, and have reaped the reward for their care. Their mother is still keeping watch looking for approaching dogs, as they are only beginning to fly.

Two Mandarin drakes could be seen at the Vista. I haven't seen the female with the ducklings again but this is not necessarily a bad sign, as these ducks spend a lot of time ashore hidden in the undergrowth.

A Mallard drake preened his smart feathers on a post by the island.

The individual florets in the big round heads of the allium flowers in the Rose Garden provide plenty of nectar for Buff-Tailed Bumblebees, which range over the flowers taking a brief drink from each one.