While I can’t possibly top the moorhen/cormorant fight, there were other interesting things to see today at the Botanical Gardens.

First up, a heron, spotted before we had even got as far as the front gates.

Some beautiful flowers.

And a bud…

… with aspirations:

The grebe is still, after more than two weeks, sitting on its nest.

A noisy miner is trying to escape its nearly-grown chick.

And finally, we had been wondering why seven car parking spaces in the car park have been cordoned off for weeks, so we had a closer look on foot. We found a big sign saying “Warning, Birds Nesting” and approached the tree carefully, camera in hand. What we found was indeed a nesting Masked Lapwing. On the ground. Having chosen to build a nest at ground level in a busy car park. Right next to beautiful, safe, landscaped gardens. Poor risk-assessment skills.