Birds and flowers seen in Battersea Park during a hot sunny day - 26th February 2026

I went to Battersea Park on a sunny day at the end of February and discovered a pair of Mandarin ducks at the edge of the lake.

Mandarin drake doing his aerobics or practising his skateboarding!

The pair of Mandarins were watching me watching them!

The Mandarin drake fluffed up his feathers and made himself look very large

The pretty female relaxed at the edge of the lake

A pair of synchronised male Tufted ducks swam past

A Grey Heron stood at the edge of the lake and was being watched by a Black-headed gull

A male Norther Shoveler stopped shovelling for a few minutes near to some bubbling water

A female Northern Shoveler was in a shady part of the lake that was surrounded by trees

Long Catkins were hanging from branches at the edge of the lake

A Magpie perched on top of railings for a short while

Beautiful crocus growing in grass on a sloping mound

Carrion Crow admiring flowers in the sunshine

I was wishing that I could join this dog in one of the fountains in the park!

Brimstone butterfly feeding on tiny violets in the Old English Garden

near a Ladybird in the same flowers

Pretty mauve Scilla flowers - also in the Old English Garden

Back at the lake, I found two female Pochards

a distant Great Crested Grebe

and a pair of Northern Shovelers

It was lovely to see buds forming on a shrub at the edge of the lake

and some white Quince flowers

Finally, a pair of Great Crested Grebes at the edge of the island in the lake - one was adding bits and pieces to the nest underneath the overhanging branches

 

Lapwings, Shelducks, Bewick and Whooper swans seen during visit to RSPB Minsmere nature reserve on a soggy overcast day - 7th February 2026

I went from London to Minsmere in Suffolk by coach on 7th February, which turned out to be a wet and dark day.  Sizewell C could be seen in the distance as I began my walk round the reserve.

The view across the lagoon from the East hide - it was misting with rain nearly all day!

There were lots of Lapwings and four Bewick swans in the distance

Synchronised dipping from the four Bewicks

Lots and lots of Lapwings on the spits of land in the lagoon

There were some horses on the land in front of a bird hide on the other side of the water

More birds on the zig-zag land in the lagoon - again mainly Lapwings, with a few Shelducks

Pair of Shelducks on the lagoon

Ringed Plover in the distance at the edge of a spit of land

Something had spooked the Lapwings and a large group of them took flight

Shelduck and a pair of Gadwalls on one of the little islands

Posing Shelduck

Eurasian Teal and Norther Shovelers on the lagoon in front of a viewpoint

Gadwall at the front and Teal at the back

A very distant Goosander

Round the other side of the lagoon I saw a Whooper swan from the Island Mere hide

A Mute swan was not pleased to the see the Whooper and came after it in an aggressive manner 

Blue Tit in the bushes near the Visitor Centre just before I had to go back to the coach

Two Blue Tits in the bushes before my journey back home

and a Great Tit too!

Minsmere is a great reserve - and especially would be on a nice day!!  It is  huge area and we only managed to walk round a small part of it during the few hours that we were there.

Wildlife and birds seen during a walk in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens - 30th January 2026

I began my walk at the Marble Arch end of Hyde Park where I came across this enormous Mimosa

A Blue Tit landed on the railings in front of me

There were some beautiful red berries in one of the enclosed garden areas

A male Blackbird stood on the grass for a short time

A Herring Gull was standing in the closed-off area that had recently been used for the Winter Wonderland fairground.  The ground is now being slowly repaired!

A Grey Squirrel came down from a tree and sat near some daffodils

A patch of grass in the Dell was completely covered with Snowdrops

A pair of Egyptian Geese were standing on top of a tall tree at the back of the Dell

Closer view of the pair of Egyptian Geese

Grey Squirrel resting on a tree in the Dell

Paperbush plant flowering near the Serpentine

Mute Swan standing at the edge of the Serpentine - I just missed it flapping its wings!

Canada goose at the back and what looks like a Canada/Greylag hybrid at the front

Pair of Gadwalls on the Serpentine

Mute Swan having a drink

Black-headed Gull standing on the landing stage on the Long Water in Kensington Gardens

Several Cormorants standing on a fallen chestnut branch in the Long Water

Robin and Grey Squirrel in the same tree

Azaleas in flower near the Flower Walk, Kensington Gardens

Brightly-coloured Cyclamen in a dark area along the Flower Walk

Black Swan following a Mute Swan on the Long Water

Black and Mute Swans preening together

Lovely Black Swan

showing off his long neck here!

Grey Squirrel on a bench near the edge of the Long Water

Aggressive Mute Swan breaking up a gathering of Mute Swans

Blonde Egyptian goose walking along the path at the edge of the Serpentine