Greylag Goose with large piece of French bread being followed in Hyde Park

The last time my camera took me for a walk round the Serpentine in Hyde Park, on Sunday, I saw a Greylag goose with a large piece of French bread in it's beak.  This caused a lot of interest from the other geese in the area and ended up with a game of pass-the-parcel!

A Canada goose was closely following the Greylag.

The Greylag was quickly surrounded by other hungry geese.

The goose managed to stop off for a quick bite, but was being pursued by a Canada goose.

The Canada goose managed to steal the bread, but it was soon it was harassed by a young gull, who managed to get the largest piece.  Meanwhile two Greylag geese were having a loud argument.

Then it was time for the Canada goose to get into action and try to get the large piece of bread back.

The young gull managed to hang onto it.

No, it was back in the Canada's beak.

Not for long - a Greylag was running off with the spoils stuck onto the end of it's beak.

Time to get a quick bite before someone else grabbed the bread.

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!

Mid-May wildlife walk in St. James's Park, London

In the middle of May my camera took me on yet another wildlife searching walk in one of my favourite London parks - St. James's.  It was the time of year for babies and I came across several varieties.  The photographs below show largish Greylag goslings that are still very fluffy and cute.

In this photograph there are two Red Crested Pochard drakes and two ducklings.

At the top of the photo are two sleepy Tufted ducks.  Three Red-crested Pochard ducklings are spread about between two adult drakes.

The ducklings are now in closer formation with one of the Red-crested Pochard drakes keeping a beady red eye on them.

There was a mother Mute swan, annoyingly with her back to me, preening next to her four young fluffy cygnets.  They were on the other side of the lake to where I was standing, so I was lucky that the cygnets can be seen at all.

I walked further round the lake and found a large Coot chick standing in the water at the edge of the lake.  It has already got enormous feet!

Swimming serenely in the lake was a beautiful black swan.  In this photograph a coot is swimming in the opposite direction to the swan.

I came across a Shelduck that was walking along the path at the edge of the lake.

At the other end of the lake, someone was feeding red berries to a Coot family.  Here the adult has a berry in it's mouth, while the Coot chicks wait quite patiently to be fed.

Both parents were on hand to help out with lunch for their chicks.

The next stop, at the other side of the lake, was in order to photograph these five Fulvous Whistling ducks.

A Ruddy Shelduck was standing amongst the daisies near the water's edge.

A Greylag goose couple swam past with their one young gosling.

Standing on the gravel near the edge of the lake was a Hooded Merganser drake and his brown female companion.

A Smew drake was trying to get some rest and had his head tucked into his body.

A Smew in eclipse plumage was sitting nearby.

A heron was trying to look more attractive by standing in front of a bunch of yellow irises.

The grey heron turned his head and made noises at some of the other birds.

Swimming backwards and forwards in the lake were the park's three white Pelicans.  It was nearly their lunch-time and they were anxiously waiting for the park keeper to come and feed them with some fish.

A little further on there was a Bar-headed goose mum with her hybrid partner and their three young goslings.  He was looking one way and she was looking the other while their youngsters were looking for lunch in the grass.

Mum Bar-headed goose looks very sweet with her young goslings gathered around her in this photograph.

As usual, there were lots of great waterbirds and their young to keep me amused during another lovely walk in the park.

Geese, ducks, pigeons and gulls in St. James's Park

I am not very good at writing posts after I get back from walks with my camera round London's parks.  I don't know why as I should have time on my hands, but it just seems to disappear into thin air!  I am going to try harder this year to write as soon as I can, but in the meantime I am trying to catch up with walks that I went on towards the end of last year.  This time, in the middle of December 2016, I went on a great walk round the lake in St. James's Park.

Firstly I had an encounter with a Greylag goose, which was giving me the eye!

Then I passed a tree with lovely Autumn colouring with a barren tree in front of it that had a branch covered with pigeons.

Next was an inquisitive Bar-headed goose plodding around in the muddy grass.

Sitting near to the Bar-headed goose was one of its juveniles - the result of a liaison with a Greylag goose, so it is quite strangely coloured.

Next I came across an opera squawking duo of troubadours - two black-headed gulls, taking it in turns to sing loudly and very out of tune!

One gull managed to stop singing for a moment and pose like a model in front of a pile of Autumn leaves.

Further round the lake, near the little Gingerbread house, I came across a large gathering of Red-Crested Pochards, Mallards and Tufted ducks.  They were a little bit too far away to get a good photograph - but here they are anyway.

A couple of Mallards were much nearer the edge of the lake.  Here the drake is preening his feathers while the duck floats nearby.

There is always a lot of wildlife to see in St. James's Park and I always enjoy a walk there.