A pair of Great Crested Grebes with a young chick in St. James's Park during early June 2020

At the beginning of June my camera and I went for a morning walk in St. James's Park, London, where I was lucky enough to see a pair of Great Crested Grebes, one of which was carrying a young chick on it's back.

The other parent had collected a small white feather, which it offered to it's partner.  Apparently feathers are fed to chicks to help protect them from the effects of fish bones.

A little later the chick dismounted and had a soak in the lake.

Mute Swan with four baby cygnets - St. James's Park

Since lockdown began in March and I been visiting my local parks for exercise, taking my camera along for company and in order to photograph the wildlife I have encountered.  In that time I have taken many photographs, but have not got round to putting them on my blog.

Tonight I decided I would do something about it - but it would be only one photograph.

This lovely female Mute Swan was with her four baby cygnets and was looking after them with the help of her mate, who was constantly nearby.  He was just not in my vision at this particular time.

The photograph was taken during my walk round the lake in St. James's Park, London, on Sunday, 28th June 2020.

Pre Corona virus lockdown visit to Hall Place, Bexley, in early March

In early March, before the Corona Virus lockdown began in the UK, I went out every day with my camera for a week in order to photograph birds in parks while I was still able to travel by public transport.  On one of those days, I took a journey to Hall Place in Bexley, which I suspected would be my last visit for some time - and, unfortunately, it will be.

I was lucky during my time there as hardly any people were around and I had the bird hide to myself for most of my visit.  Also, quite a lot of birds were flittering about.

Viewed from the small bird hide and perching in the trees near the river Cray:

Robin with a few ruffled feathers

Beautiful female Chaffinch

Two Dunnocks playing tag

 Great Tit with seed between it's claws - taken from the nearby bird feeder

To my utmost joy, a Nuthatch graced me with it's presence

A Grey Wagtail was searching for insects in the shallow water of the small river that runs through the site

During a walk through the gardens, I saw a juvenile cygnet on the river

A Blue Tit flew onto the branch of a conifer

A Blackbird was searching for worms amongst the fallen twigs from previous strong winds

Back at the bird hide, a Collared Dove showed me some pretty feathers

and a naughty Rose-ringed Parakeet stared at me from a hole that was made last year in the tree by a pair of Green Woodpeckers

It is a very unsettling time and I am sad that I am unable to visit again during the warmer weather - but at least I have photographic memories to look at and cheer me up during the days spent at home during this horrific world-wide crisis.

Goldfinch, Blue Tit and Greenfinch in the Greenwich Peninsular Ecology Park

Last week my camera and I went for a walk in the North Greenwich Ecology Park, which is a very small place.  There are a couple of large bird feeders located near the boardwalk which, at this time of the year, are filled with assorted seeds and attract some beautiful little birds.

Waiting their turn in the trees before flying onto the feeders were:

Goldfinch

Blue Tit

Greenfinch

How lucky was I to be able to take photographs of these three little beauties!

Two beautiful common small wild birds in the shrubbery at St. James's Park last Sunday

For a change it was sunny last Sunday after weeks of dull rainy days so my camera took me for a walk in St. James's Park, London.

Someone was feeding the birds and I was lucky enough to be able to photograph the following two beautiful common wild birds that were both briefly perching in a shrub with fresh young buds.

Great Tit

Blue Tit

These birds moved around so quickly, flitting in and out of cover, that I was very pleased to have caught them on camera!