Eight black swans in St. James's Park, London

St. James's Park in London is one of two parks that are within walking distance of the area where I live and I go there quite often for a walk round the lake with my camera.  In the past, I have seen three black swans that live there - one that is usually on it's own and a pair that swim around together.

Recently I read on Ralph's blog about the birds in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens that their lone black swan, which left the park a little while ago due probably to harassment by the dominant mute swans on the lake, had returned and then had been newly joined by a group of four younger black swans.  Determined to see them I headed off at the beginning of last week to Hyde Park but, having walked all round the Serpentine and the Long Water in Kensington Gardens, there was no sign of them.  That evening I read on Ralph's blog that they had moved on and had been seen on the lake in St. James's Park.

Last Friday I went to St. James's Park to see if they were still there.  I firstly headed off round the lake towards the Trafalgar Square end of the park, which I where I saw the park's resident pair of black swans.  They were in the middle of the lake and quite a distance from me.

When I walked round the other side of this part of the lake, I saw the park's resident black swan that is always on it's own.  It was standing at the edge of the lake, amongst a plethora of coots.

This is a close-up of it's face and neck.  What a beautiful red eye it has.

I had not really gone out early enough, arriving at the park at about 3 p.m., and I stopped to take photographs of lots of other birds that I saw on the lake.  So, when I arrived at the Buckingham Palace end of the lake, the light was beginning to fade.  As luck would have it, that was where the five Hyde Park black swans were hanging out!

Here is a photograph of two of the visiting black swans - or maybe they are going to stay, which would be great as it is much easier for me to get to St. James's Park to see them.

Below is a close-up photograph of one of the visitors, I think!

It began to get a bit confusing as the five Hyde Park swans were joined by the three St. James's Park residents.  I did not manage to get a photograph of all eight together as the resident black swans kept mainly to the periphery of the group.  In the photograph below the five Hyde Parkers are in the foreground and a lone St. James's black swan is right at the back by the greenery on the island that is in the centre of the lake.

Some of the park's resident mute swans were swimming around with the black swans.

The park's resident lone black swan swam off into the distance and looked back at the group of newcomers from underneath the branches of a overhanging willow.

Then the black swan decided to swim back to the group of other black swans - but all the while keeping it's distance.

The group of visitors swam backwards and forwards around this part of the lake.

At one point they looked as though they were going to move on.

However, they came back again.  In this photograph there are six black swans and two mute swans, plus several black-headed gulls.

Here again there are six black swans, two mute swans and also a juvenile cygnet.  The photos are not that great as it was now after 4 p.m. and the light was quickly disappearing.  The black swans are too dark and the white swans are too light - but never mind!

In this last photograph there are seven black swans - the eighth having refused to join in the photo shoot and having disappeared round the corner past the willow on the left-hand side!  Meanie!!!

I intend to go back to St. James's Park again at an earlier time and, hopefully, when the sun is shining.  I only hope that all eight black swans will make their presence known and agree to be photographed together!