A grey day

It was a dark wet day and today's pictures are a drab lot, not least because it came on to rain so strongly when I was halfway round the park that I have up and came home on the Tube.

The boss Mute Swan, and his new mate were throwing plants around on the edge of the Long Water in a nesting ritual. But surely he will be sensible enough to actually nest on his private island only a few feet away,  protected from the foxes that roam the bank.

The female Great Crested Grebe of the pair at the Vista cruised by. They are already in their smart breeding plumage, while the single I filmed yesterday is still only beginning to emerge from its plain winter outfit.

The Coots in the Italian Garden were busy with their nest. Are they going to breed this early, or is it just their building instinct taking hold? 

The dominant Black-Headed Gull on the Serpentine was on the wrong side of the lake, looking annoyed ...

... because two Canada Geese and a hybrid had occupied his landing stage.

There was a Grey Heron on the nest at the west end of the island ...

... and the east end. It's cheering to see that they haven't completely lost interest in nesting. The herons in the park always seem to get off to an uncertain start.

Yesterday on the Long Water a rat drove away the Water Rail. Today it was back in full possession of the rotting corpse of a Coot that has drifted in to the edge.

Feral Pigeons love bathing in puddles, or simply hanging out in one. A Black-Headed Gull strolled by for a drink.

Even on a muddy day the white pigeon in the Rose Garden manages to stay much cleaner ...

... than the grubby one at the Lido restaurant, which is perhaps soiled by going through rubbish bins.

A Magpie waited on an urn in the Italian Garden ...

... and there was an expectant Jay farther along the path.

A Jackdaw on the edge of the Serpentine trotted up to be fed.

Great Tits gathered in a bush by the bridge.

A Robin in the Flower Walk was ticking crossly because they were crowding him in his favouirite viburnum bush.

The Robin by the Buck Hill shelter was beginning to get wet.

There was a heavy downpour on the Blue Tits in the Rose Garden, and that was the last picture I took before I retreated.

Water Rail in the debris

I've been trying for some time to see the Water Rail in the reed bed under the bridge, and today it came into view for long enough to be filmed. A pity that so much rubbish has drifted into the edge.

Even less attractively, it was eating a dead and rotten Coot. I'll spare you that bit.

The ice on the Long Water has now completely melted, and the two Great Crested Grebes that had been trapped at the Vista cruised serenely down the lake.

But it was the third, single grebe that caught a large perch.

It turned the fish round and swallowed it with some difficulty, and took a few seconds to recover from the effort.

There are now two Coot nests in pools in the Italian Garden.

The lone teenage Mute Swan followed its mother over the Serpentine. It really does need to show a bit of independence.

It's not just the boss Mute Swan who bullies the lower ranking swans on the Serpentine. This one with ring 4FYF also throws his weight around. He attacked the teenager's mother among others.

The Black Swan, still in an aggressive mood, paraded around with his wings up.

The Grey Heron at the Lido was on the ramp, a place it likes when not actively looking for fish under the edge.

A pair of Black-Headed Gulls called to each other and walked around together. They won't be nesting till much later, after they've left the park for their breeding ground, but the display reinforces their pair bond.

The Magpies which usually wait for peanuts near the Buck Hill shelter perched together in a winged elm.

Both the Robins at Mount Gate were also waiting, the male in a forsythia ...

... and the female deep in the bushes and hard to photograph. She came out for a pine nut and dashed back in.

The birds waiting in the corkscrew hazel in the Dell often include a Robin ...

... as well as the usual pair of Coal Tits.

The Coal Tits in the Rose Garden also appeared ...

... along with a good number of Blue Tits.

The boss swan woos a new mate

The Robin near the Buck Hill shelter struck a grand pose.

A Robin in the Rose Garden ticked irritably at having to share its bush with some Blue Tits, and chased one away.

A Blue Tit on a tree was ruffled by the wind.

A Coal Tit waited in a rose bush. This is the one that is now coming to my hand.

The Coal Tits in the Dell remain shy but will take pine nuts from the railings.

As the fruit on the Japanese Pagoda Tree becomes harder to reach, the Wood Pigeons are losing their balance and falling out more and more.

A Carrion Crow waited in front of the shiny bronze leaves of a kohuhu bush by the Lido restaurant.

The female Pied Wagtail, hunting by the Dell restaurant, picked up one of the small white larvae that seem to be its main food in winter.

Just up the shore, Pigeon Eater was on the prowl. He narrowly missed a pigeon.

A Cormorant flapped furiously on the edge of a fountain pool in the Italian Garden.

The Great Crested Grebes at the Vista seem happy to remain. There is probably good fishing in the trailing branches of the overhanging trees.

Jenna reports that the boss Mute Swan has abandoned his courtship of 4DTT and was wooing a new mate on the Long Water. She made a video, but it was viewed through reeds and you couldn't see much, so I'm not putting it up here. Will keep an eye on developments, of course.

The Black Swan was chasing a Mute Swan on the Serpentine. He really is getting ferocious. I just hope he can avoid a serious fight with the boss swan, which he would lose and probably get injured or killed.

His youngsters are now socialising with the other Mute Swans.

But the lone teenager is still clinging to its mother, and I have never seen it taking any notice of other swans.

One of the nesting baskets just installed on the Serpentine was occupied by a pair of swans. It's much too early to be sure yet whether they will hold on to it and nest there.

But the one by the Lido restuarant is still in the possession of a Grey Heron which uses it as a fishing platform.

Some joker has put a 'Beware of snowflakes' sign on the statue of Albert. Vandalism, but quite a feat of urban climbing including crossing the fierce multi-spiked railings and scaling some sheer walls.

Rival swans' uneasy truce

The Black Swan and the dominant Mute Swan were both still on the Long Water. They seem to have had an encounter with an inconclusive result, as they were keeping a discreet distance apart.

The Black Swan stood on the ice, stretching up his immensely long neck. He is taller than his rival, though much lighter.

He strolled over the ice trying to look impressive, but it didn't work and he fell over. He abandoned the idea, and flapped and skated into a patch of open water.

The boss swan has succeeded in chasing his strayed youngster  on to the Serpentine with the others. The swans here were enjoying the absence of ice, flying up and down the lake.

A pair were courting at the Lido.

A little flock of Tufted Ducks cruised by, most of them drakes in their neat black and white breeding plumage.

The pair of Great Crested Grebes could now leave the Vista if they wanted to, as there is enough clear water for them to take off. But they have chosen to stay. The is a slight frost tonight, but probably not enough to extend the ice.

In fact another grebe has arrived on the Long Water. This is not the single one from the Serpentine, and it must have flown into the park.

There is usually a pair of Egyptian Geese on the east lawn at the Albert Memorial. It's quite far from the nearest place they can drink and bathe on the Long Water.

A few days ago we saw an adult Herring Gull in the Rose Garden teaching a young one how to do the worm dance. Now there are two youngsters dancing and successfully bringing up worms.

The Black-Headed Gull Blue 2331 was guarding his territory from his usual post.

Two Grey Herons in a holly tree by the bridge were pointedly ignoring each other.

The single Dunnock was beside the path by the Buck Hill shelter. I think it's female, as males have more grey on their head.

The male Chaffinch in the Rose Garden arrived to be fed.

One of the Coal Tits here will now come to my hand. They spend some time watching the other tits before they decide it's safe.

A Robin perched on a stump in the Dell ...

... and the usual pair were at Mount Gate, the male in a bush ...

... and the female waiting impatiently on the railings.