I saw a nuthatch in a tree, showing off its climbing skills. They're pretty little #birds

South London, UK.

B. Slowly attempt to shake his paw. He looks like a polite fellow.

Female mallard on a lake in the sun

Female mallard on a lake in the sun

Female mallard standing in shallow water and shaking herself, she is motion blurred

Female mandarin duck in a lake

The signs in the park said not to feed bread to the ducks, so I fed their egos with lots of compliments instead. They are very pretty, so it's only right to tell them that.

#birds

This moorhen chick is so funny looking, but cute with it.

#birds

Female tufted duck and a duckling on a disused nest in a pond

Two tufted ducklings on a disused nest on a pond

A female tufted duck swimming on a pond

A female tufted duck standing on a disused nest in a pond

A beautiful tufted duck mother and her cute ducklings.

#birds

A Canada goose washing, splashing lots. I don't think they're capable of being subtle or quiet.

#birds

I know terrapins aren't a natural part of the ecosystem in the UK & shouldn't be in our parks but I still think they're amazing to look at. These two live in a small park in South London.

Tufted ducklings, they're so cute. They can dive even when they're tiny, so they're constantly disappearing and reappearing.

#birds

This kingfisher was just metres away from busy roads, light industrial sites, out of town superstores & a busy children's playground. It's so good that they can survive in the city. She had just caught & eaten a small fish.

#birds

A parakeet eating some fruit in a neighbouring garden. I find it interesting how they hold food with their feet and their beak. They're not native to the UK but they are everywhere in the London area and a number of other cities.

#birds

A black cat with golden eyes lies on her back with her paws in the air on yellow patio slabs.

The same black cat is lying with her paws in the air

Same black cat lying on her side on the patio

Local cat enjoying rolling around on my patio, showing off her toe beans 😻

#cats #notmycat

I think so, yes.

I saw a couple of skylarks on a golf course, on the border between London and Surrey. I really hope they've had a successful breeding season.

#birds

Round here they seem to be seven spot ladybirds.

A ladybird is on a plant and two ants are in front of it, one with its antenna touching the ladybird.

A ladybird is on the underside of a seed pod, while an ant pokes at it with its antennae.

A ladybird on a plant with an ant grabbing at it.

A ladybird in the sunshine on a leaf.

The ants weren't happy about the number of 7 spot ladybirds on this plant. Ants actually farm aphids, getting them to produce honeydew, while ladybirds eat aphids. Amazing to watch their interactions. The ants are much smaller so I don't know if anyone wins.

#ladybirds

A few months ago there were aphids everywhere. I saw a bush today with quite a lot of ladybirds on it but I've not seen any swarms. It seems to be a good year for many insects.

A female Common Darter butterfly is perched on top of an upright branch, viewed side on.

A female Southern Hawker dragonfly is perched vertically gripping a tree branch.

I saw some pretty dragonflies hiding out in woodland to avoid unwanted male attention. First one is a common darter, second southern hawker. Seen in Croydon, South London.

Shiny insects in Reading, UK. A rose chafer beetle and a male banded demoiselle. Such beautiful colours.

A photo of the screen on a ticket machine at East Croydon train station that says "Please select your fare". There are 8 fares available. On the left are the fares for "Reading via Redhill", a slow and unreliable route going down through Surrey, costing £25.20 for an off peak day return. In the middle is "Reading not via London" which involves travelling to Clapham Junction then catching a slow train to Reading, costing £25.40 off peak day return. It's confusing because Clapham Junction is in London (so is Croydon). On the right is the "any route permitted" tickets which is £32.20. The journey planner apps show the journey via central London, because it's quicker. It feels like this is deliberate to catch people out and fine them for having the wrong ticket. The other prices are for "any time" fares which can be used before 9:30am and first class.

It's almost like they're trying to catch people out with the ticket machines. 3 different fares to the same place. The journey planner shows the via London route. A 20p difference between via Redhill & "not via London" (i.e. change at Clapham Junction) but a big fine if you get it wrong.

Dunnock standing side on to the camera stretching one wing and spreading its tail feathers.

Dunnock sitting on a path preening

Dunnock sitting in the sun looking fluffy

Dunnock sitting on a path

The beautiful, yet often overlooked dunnock, in a South London park.

#birds

A young red fox standing on a suburban street with its mouth open, looking towards the camera

A young fox standing on a street looking to the side

A young fox sitting in a road by parked cars, looking at the camera.

A beautiful young fox, the most relaxed of 3 youngsters living near me. I know they're not always perfect neighbours but I love seeing these beautiful creatures in our cities.

I think the fact that Radiohead's 1997 song Let Down has finally charted says something important about the national mood.

Canada goslings and parents in the evening sun.

#birds

European robin fledgling standing on a branch side on

European robin fledgling standing in a bush

European robin fledgling standing in a bush with its head tilted to one side

European robin on a tree branch facing away from the camera

Robin fledglings are adorable.

#birds

Quite a dramatic fight between two moorhens in a South London park this afternoon - then a third joined in & was chased off. They normally seem such peaceful birds.

#birds

Thanks, I'll have to check them out. I used to use the tube because I didn't have enough info about where buses went but now there's so much more info it's easier.

A Canada goose has just jumped from a low concrete path into a pond and there is a large splash around it, while a moorhen looks on and a female tufted duck is behind the wall of water.

Canada goose belly flop. Such graceful #birds

Bank junction in the City of London with old buildings in the foreground and new skyscrapers in the background.

The top deck of a bus is the best way to travel round London (when it's too far to walk). Only £1.75, great views, much quieter than the tube & no escalators or long tunnels.

This is Bank Junction in the City of London.

Five young Mallard ducklings snuggled up together on grass looking cute.

A mallard mother keeping watch at the edge of a lake while her ducklings sit behind her.

A mallard duckling that is older than the previous ones and starting to grow some less fluffy feathers is standing up in shallow water preening.

A mallard duckling that is starting to gain its adult shape and only partly fluffy in water.

I don't think I'll ever grow out of the excitement of seeing ducklings. These two families were at Kelsey Park in South London yesterday.

#birds

The last one almost looks like it's levitating.