The previously promised British birds

Here they are. All of these photos were taken in St. James Park. I think that's the name of it--it's the park at Buckingham Palace. I'm not sure if it's more correct to say it's next to Buckingham Palace or if the palace is in it. Anyhow, if some Anglophile would like to clarify these details, I'd appreciate it.

Now, presenting the birds (as always, click on them for bigger versions, and tell me if you want the really big (full-res) versions)...








This is one aggressive bird. He made his move before I knew what was happening, so I didn't have time to adjust my shooting speed. The blur is neat, but I might have liked a bit more sharpness.


Here, you can see the bird he was driving off.


First, I saw this female swan by herself, but watch the romantic dance that's about to follow.


Here comes her partner.


They begin the greet each other.


They draw close and their heads cross.


Then their heads cross the other way.


And so on. They were beautiful and a wonderful reminder that we humans aren't the only animals who live and love on this planet!






Isn't this a great looking bird? Look at all of the copper and blue!






This guy's almost like a negative of the prior bird.


Okay, so this isn't a bird, but it is part of where they hang out.






You may see a bit of feather hanging from this bird's beak. That's because another bird had just been driven off with a peck to the back. The bit of feather belongs to the other bird. This is a tough crowd!


A bit more of the park.


A nice view of the top of the London Eye sticking up in the distance.

Okay, that'll do it for this entry!