Birds and flowers in Battersea Park on hot sunny 8th April 2026

Lovely patch of Bluebells on the path at the beginning of my walk in the park

Egyptian parent and three goslings were startled by a sudden heavy flow of water from a nearby pipe

Close-up of gosling searching for snacks in the grass

Four military helicopters flew in formation over the park

Grey Heron pretending to be a statue in the Old English Garden

Beautiful white/yellow Irises

There were many fancy-shaped Tulips in the Old English Garden

The Grey Heron had moved round to the other side of the pond and posed in front of some flowers

Back at the lake, the Egyptian parents were standing with four of their six goslings

Oregon Grape at the edge of the footpath round the lake

Rather handsome Gadwall drake

and pretty female Gadwall

Common Pochard having a splashing time!

Coots doing what Coots love - fighting!!!

Recently I have seen none or just a few Mandarins - today one was swimming around on the lake

A Grey Heron flew overhead with what looks like a large fish in its beak

Two differently-coloured Mallard drakes swam across the lake

Back almost where I started, I was happy to see several Mandarin drakes - and just one female!

 I counted six male Mandarins altogether, but they refused to all be photographed together

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