Black swan on guard duty and 7 cygnets for Mute swan

On Monday I went for another walk with my camera in St. James's Park as I wanted to check up on the nesting black swans and I had heard that the Mute swans had cygnets.  Also, it was a lovely sunny day and just too nice to be staying indoors.

The male black swan was on guard duty - standing at the edge of the island near to the nest.

I was standing on the opposite bank and, when the female swan moved on the nest, I was able to get a photograph of her through the leaves and nettles that are surrounding her.  Most of the time, however, she was invisible!

Someone near me starting feeding the water birds, so the male black swan swam over in order to get something to eat.  He is very handsome.

He did not stay away from the island for very long and headed back over there to continue guarding his mate.  A white Ross's goose was honking and flapping it's wings, but was soon moved on by the swan.

Meanwhile, on another part of the lake, mum Mute swan was serenely sailing along by the side of the wildflower-covered bank.  She was followed by a line of the most adorable baby cygnets - seven of them in total.

She was joined by dad and they started feeding at the edge of the lake.

The family then swam along to the bridge that goes across the central part of the lake.  These photographs were taken from the bridge, looking down on the cute little cygnets.

Soon, hopefully, the pair of black swans will have a family of their own.  I can't wait to see them!

Black swans nesting in St. James's Park, London

Just over a couple of weeks ago, on my birthday, I went for a short walk in the late morning to St. James's Park.  I could not stay very long as I was meeting some friends in the afternoon in order to celebrate my birthday by going up to the Sky Garden in the Walkie Talkie building in Moorgate and then for a meal in a restaurant at Bank.  I just walked round half of the lake and I was so glad I did.

I was busy photographing something else when I got distracted by a Mute swan and some Greylag geese noisily honking and staring at something I could hardly see on the island in the centre of the lake.

When I got further round the lake, I saw what had attracted all the fuss - a pair of black swans had made a large nest behind a brick wall and in front of a fallen tree trunk on the island.  In fact, there was a Greylag geese sitting behind the tree trunk and watching the swans!

The swans were partially hidden by swaying fronds - the twiggy branches of a tree on the island.

The smaller female swan was sitting in the centre of the nest.

Her mate was sitting on one side of the nest and the whole area was covered with sticks.  He then got up and walked along behind the wall.

In fact, both black swans got up and started gathering up more sticks to add to their rather huge nest.   It is quite high up so I hope, if they have babies, that the young ones will be able to manage the long climb up to the nest!

Last Sunday, two weeks after I took the first photographs of the black swans on the nest, I went back to St. James's Park.  Now there are leaves and fronds on the swaying branches of the trees and it is almost impossible to see the swans.  The female, however, was still sitting on the nest and I managed to get a glimpse of her when the wind blew open a gap in the greenery.

Now I definitely would not know that the black swans were nesting on the island if I did not already know that they were nesting on the island!