There is a family of Goldcrests in a yew tree near the southwest corner of the leaf yard. I heard several of them calling and got an occasional glimpse of one through the foliage. They are not easy birds to photograph. Glad to see that the park staff have at last managed to fill the bird feeders at this corner, after a lapse of several months. This used to be the best place in the park to see all kinds of small birds, but they have deserted it and moved down the hill to the lakeside path, where people give them food by hand. If the feeder is kept filled most of the time, they will move back.

The Moorhens in the Italian Garden have four young, a good survival rate for such an exposed spot. The chicks are growing, though still very small. You don't often see Moorhen chicks until they are larger than this, but the unusually public position of their nest has allowed a close watch on them from the moment they hatched.

On the posts next to the Peter Pan statue a Grey Heron was standing with its beak open, panting to cool itself on a hot day.

And a Greylag Goose was busy splashing about to wash its feathers. Although feathers are a wonderfully effective covering, insulating and waterproof, they need a lot of maintenance.

The two families of Great Crested Grebes on the Long Water were active and noisy. They don't have to worry about overheating, as a quick dive will sort that out. These are the birds from the nest under the oak tree near the bridge.