I was walking through St James’ Park the other day.  For those of you that don’t know the park, there is a lake in the middle, with pelicans, swans, geese, various ducks, and, of course, my heron; the subject of a previous post.

There is a little bridge that crosses the lake; it’s a real hotspot for tourists.   For me, it’s a short-cut through on my walk up to Oxford Street, but that doesn’t stop me enjoying the beauty of what is going on around me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera accessible when I walked over there this week but I saw the most fantastic sight.  A young swan, a sub adult (I believe that is the correct term, this bird was almost the same size as its parent, but still had the brown-grey feathers of an immature bird) came into land on the lake.  It was closely followed by one of the parents.

It was fascinating to see.  The still flap their wings, a bit like the flaps on an aircraft, the way they tilt when the ‘plane comes into land, but it was the feet that got me.  The swans tilted their feet to act like brakes and touched down just like an aircraft coming into land.  I wish there had been more of them to watch.

One of the [many] joys of living in London, there is so much to see, but it’s not all about the man-made stuff.  This is why I love it so much.

©Susan Shirley 2014