The dominant Robin in the Flower Walk, who bullies all the small birds, met his match when a bold Blue Tit knocked him off my hand. Blue Tits may be small but they punch well above their weight.

Coal Tit are tiny and have to wait for a gap in the arrivals of larger birds before they can come down to feed. But they usually manage it if you wait for them.

Even smaller, Goldcrests will have nothing to do with humans -- at least so far, but we thought that about Long-Tailed Tits until Mark enticed one to his hand recently. This one was photographed in a bush in the Rose Garden by Shachar Hizkiya.

Thanks for Ahmet Amerikali for this picture of a Long-Tailed Tit nesting in Southwark Park. There are several pairs nesting here, but  in all places I've found here this year the nests are well hidden and you can only get brief glimpses of the birds.

Ahmet also found a Chiffchaff.

The dark Grey Wagtail worked along the shore at the Dell restaurant. This is just across the path from the Dell waterfall, where I hope the pair will be nesting.

The pair of Wood Pigeons at the northeast corner of the bridge munched their way through some leaf buds. Any kind of bud or shoot or berry is food for them, never mind how tough or sour.

The permanent war between Great Crested Grebes and Coots continues. A pair of grebes picked at the Coot nest by the bridge ...

... and the Coots repaired it.

A pair of Mute Swans courted and mated on the Serpentine. The full display might take as long as ten minutes, so only the final two minutes are shown here.

The dominant pair on the Long Water spend too much time begging at the Vista ...

... while intruders come through the bridge and on to their territory. This pair under the willow by the bridge are screened from their sight.

The solitary Mandarin drake, chased away from the pair, looked lonely on the Serpentine. He won't find a mate here. Time to go home to the Regent's Canal and start looking around.

A fine picture of a Tufted drake by Duncan Campbell.

Here is a mystery. I always have a wall calendar with photographs of owls. Normally I buy the National Geographic one which has superb pictures, but this year I accidentally bought a similar-looking but less good one made by another firm. It includes this picture, captioned as a Tawny Owl which quite plainly it isn't. It doesn't seem to be any European species. Do any readers have an idea of what it might be?

It was a cold dark wet day. Mandarins are indifferent to these things ...

... but the young Grey Herons, huddled together in their nest, were looking soggy and miserable.

The heron with the red bill is still occupying the other nest.

Another heron was fishing from a fallen tree in the Long Water.

A Mute Swan ate the leaves of an overhanging willow tree.

A pair of Egyptian Geese were making a fuss on an oak in the leaf yard. They often nest some way from water, and then have to take their goslings on a long and dangerous hike to the nearest lake.

The Great Crested Grebes east of the Lido have, as expected, made a nest on the outside of the netting. They just don't realise that the other side is safer. They could even nest in the reeds here, but the habit of nesting in reeds hasn't penetrated to their culture. The grebes in the Norfolk Broads make nests in and from reeds all the time. Here the grebe has seen a Coot trying to steal a twig from the messy bundle and is coming over to deal with it. The Coot left in a hurry.

A young Cormorant on the Diana fountain landing stage looked like a disreputable penguin.

A Green Woodpecker could be seen poking about in the wet grass between the Dell and the Rose Garden.

A few minutes later it appeared again searching for insects in the bark of a tree.

Starlings and a Carrion Crow enjoyed a splash in the Serpentine.

A Jay beside the Long Water had the colourful background of a fallen kite.

A squirrel was making a drey in the huge Caucasian elm in the Rose Garden, though the drey itself was invisible in the thick fan of branches.

Primroses are coming out near the bridge. Decades ago an old Australian gardener planted primroses and cowslips here, and they are still appearing reliably every year.

To cheer up today's grey pictures, here are two taken yesterday by Ahmet Amerikali in Southwark Park: a Blackcap in new leaves ...

... and a Dunnock in yellow forsythia blossom.

There was twittering and movement in a bush in a Rose Garden, and a Robin came down in the flower bed underneath. So now I know where their nest is, despite their efforts yesterday to conceal it.

Duncan Campbell got a fine picture of a Robin whose nest is further advanced and was bringing insects to it. This might be a male feeding his mate on the nest, or there might already be young.

A Blackbird sang in a tree in the Rose Garden ...

... where the magnificent Caucasian Elm is just coming into leaf.

This is the first Blackcap I've seen this year. He was singing in one of the Italian alders on Buck Hill.

The Magpie pair below the Triangle car park were looking very cosy together.

They have made themselves a new nest this year, although the old one is still intact.

A Jackdaw perched on the Little Owls' tree near the Round Pond. I didn't see an owl, though.

A Carrion Crow had won a bit of cake from the Dell restaurant and was dunking it in a puddle.

More pictures from Duncan Campbell: a Lesser Black-Backed Gull had killed a Feral Pigeon at the Round Pond , and was shooing a crow away from it. This is the female of a pair, and Duncan thinks it was she who had killed the pigeon.

She was reluctantly sharing it with her mate.

Neither of these is our familiar pigeon killer, or any of the three wannabes I've seen beside the Serpentine. At roughly the time when Duncan was taking these pictures, I found the pair in their usual place at the Dell restaurant.

The two young Grey Herons were down from the nest and exploring the island. Everything is new and exciting, and their parents are still feeding them when they return to the nest -- but not for ever, so they need to learn to fish.

A parent kept an eye on them from a tree on the shore.

The heron with the red bill was still standing in the nest at the west end of the island. No sign of eggs, or it would be sitting. (I did see it sitting once, but this was a false alarm as it was just keeping out of the wind.)

Greylag Geese were eating new willow leaves beside the Serpentine. Both geese and swans find these very tasty, and soon all the lakeside trees will to cropped to the highest level a swan can reach, giving them a curiously neat appearance.

A fox slunk through the long grass at the edge of the Long Water.

A Robin in the Rose Garden was in a particularly wary mood ...

... and I soon discovered why. Its mate was in a nearby bush with a beakful of nest lining, and it didn't want me to know where the nest was.

Singing Chiffchaffs are very hard to film because they jump around in the tree after each phrase and you never know where they're going to settle. This is the best I could do today.

It was near the Speke obelisk, where I go daily in case one of the Little Owls should look out of their hole. Now every time I pass I am remorselessly pestered by four Great Tits which expect to be given a pine nut the moment they finish the previous one.

A Coal Tit in the Flower Walk is just as insistent now.

The young Grey Herons on the island were safely in their nest ...

... and the heron with the red bill was stubbornly guarding the nest at the west end. There is still no sign of breeding here that I can see, but herons have a way of surprising you and I didn't think the first nest was active till an unexpected chick started clacking.

Another heron was fishing on the boat hire platform. You wouldn't think it was possible for a heron to catch a fish from this position so high above the water ...

... but here's a picture I took last year.

There are still a few Black-Headed Gulls, including this young one with only the faintest sign of developing a black head.

Several Great Crested Grebes, I think four, have come to the lake to supplement the three pairs already here. You can tell they're newly arrived when more than two are sitting calmly together without disputing territory.

A Moorhen preened on a branch overlooking the Long Water.

The Black Swan was dozing on the new gravel strip on the Round Pond when he was woken by a Feral Pigeon walking close by him.

He glared at it till it went away, then went back to sleep. But birds sleep only with one side of their brain at a time, and are always vigilant -- as he needs to be in this exposed place only slightly safer than the shore.

There's now almost always an Egyptian Goose on the Round Pond Little Owls' nest tree. I don't think it could nest in the hollow top of the tree, because the hole is probably like a chimney going straight down with no support.

On the Serpentine six Tufted drakes tried to impress a female.

A Blackbird sang quietly to himself as he preened beside the Long Water. They need to practise their wonderful song, which doesn't come to perfection till late spring.

There was another male Blackbird 50 yards down the path. Although Blackbirds are in steep decline in the park, at least at this time of year we get a rough idea of how many are left.

A Robin was also singing in the intervals of hunting bugs on the ground. Happily there is no shortage of these birds, which have adapted well to urban life.

The olive tree between the Lido swimming area and the restaurant is a favourite place for the local Robin to sing.

The constantly furious Wren beside the Long Water looked out from a gorse bush.

A male Chaffinch perched amid spring leaves in the Flower Walk.

A sunny spell brought out the Little Owl at the Round Pond.

The lighter coloured of the two Grey Wagtails was looking for insects on a moored pedalo.

The Grey Heron with the red bill was again occupying the nest at the west end of the island. But claiming territory is one thing, and actually nesting is another. We shall see, but maybe not for a while.

Another heron perched on the Cormorants' favourite branch overhead, heavily daubed with these messy birds' copious droppings.

The heron near the Italian Garden was fishing in the reed bed. The activity doesn't look like fishing, but small fish lurk in the little spaces of water between the reeds and can be hauled out by an observant bird.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes fished side by side at the boat hire platform.

A pair of Coots began to adjust their nest on the wire baskets under the bridge. Much of it is made out of live willow twigs coming up from the stack in the baskets, which is a fish hatchery. They will need more twigs to make the nest usable, but will soon find them.

The dominant pair of Mute Swans on the Long Water went through their daily routine of begging at the Vista before attacking their rivals on the lake. It's time they got down to some serious nesting. Swans on the Serpentine are already mating and looking for scarce nest sites, and this pair have a perfect site carefully made for them.

The Mandarin pair returned to the Serpentine, perhaps only to persecute the rival drake, who would be well advised to return to the Mandarins' home stretch on the Regent's Canal.

It was a day of sunshine and heavy showers. As Duncan Campbell took this picture from the bridge of heavy clouds massing over the Long Water ...

... I was hurrying for the shelter of the loggia in the Italian Garden and got there just in time to avoid being soaked. Others weren't so lucky.

In a sunny interval there was a good collection of small birds near the Speke obelisk. I hear a Nuthatch singing in a tree and went over to try to find it, which I didn't. But instead I got a picture of a Treecreeper happily upside down under a branch, catching a midge.

A Goldfinch flitted about, sang, and ate a bud. There was only one Goldfinch here -- they can sing and eat at the same time.

A Song Thrush perched in a tree ...

... and was promptly chased out by a Blackbird.

When it settled in the next tree ...

... I was ready for it, and got a very brief clip of it being knocked off again.

A Robin watched the proceedings from a safe distance ...

... and a Jackdaw arrived  to ask for a peanut.

Beside the Long Water there was another sighting of the Wren I photographed two days ago, as furious as ever.

A Blue Tit perched in the yellow jasmine bush at Mount Gate.

Glad to say that both the young Grey Herons were back in their nest. So they can fly well enough now, coming down to explore and practise fishing, and returning to the nest to be fed by their parents.

One parent was having a dispute with the pair in the nest at the west end of the island.

The heron with the red bill guarded the nest.

You remember the bright idea the park management had of putting a gravel strip in the Round Pond to give the waterfowl a refuge from dogs?

One of the young Grey Herons is down from the nest.

The other was still up the tree. I hope this was a controlled descent and it can fly back. Heron chicks get fed only when they are on the nest, and obviously this one is no good at fishing yet though it was having a try.

The heron with a very red bill, which has been occupying the lower nest at the west end of the island for the past three days, was down on the ground and so was its mate. So it looks as if hopes that they were nesting are premature -- not for the first time.

The nest above it was occupied by an Egyptian Goose. So far here, heron nests being stolen by Egyptians hasn't been a problem, but it has caused serious trouble on the island in Regent's Park.

A pair of Herring Gulls were disturbed by a young one which barged in and pecked at one of them. Young gulls often don't respect the order of seniority, and I've seen the same with herons.

The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull and his mate were together by the Dell restaurant. I wish I could see on to the restaurant roof to know whether she nests there, which I suspect is the case as I often see them with a young one later in the year.

A Jackdaw was cheekily wandering around the place on the roof where the pair like to perch. It would be sent packing if either of them went up.

A Carrion Crow strolled through the daffodils beside the Serpentine, but I think its mind was on more practical matters.

Dismal drizzly weather didn't deter the Blackbird near the Italian Garden from singing.

This Grey Wagtail on the edge of the Serpentine is the one I've been seeing most of recently, not the other, darker one seen yesterday which may be its mate.

When you see a Great Crested Grebe with its shoulders under water it's about to dive. Grebes clench their feathers down before diving to make themselves denser, so they don't have to do so much work to stay submerged. This grebe is also clearly female, as you can see from its very narrow crest. In males it's a broader V shape, though there is a lot of overlap between the sexes and you can't always be sure.

The dominant pair of Mute Swans on the Long Water saw some intruders at the Vista and set out to chase them back under the bridge.

The Mandarin pair returned to the Long Water.

The first martenitsas have appeared. This is a Bulgarian custom: the twists of red and white wool, denoting a man and a woman, are given on 1 March, then hung up in a tree that is coming into blossom or leaf. Sometimes there are actual little male and female dolls. This is supposed to ensure good fortune and fertility. Thanks to Abigail for the picture.

A Wren beside the Long Water leapt around in a bush protesting furiously at something I couldn't see.

Another was perched on a twig, calm for once.

A Chiffchaff came up out of a bramble patch near the Henry Moore sculpture.

A Blackbird sang in a holly tree near Peter Pan.

A Pied Wagtail hunted on the grass at the Vista, not a place where you usually see one.

This Grey Wagtail on the edge of the Dell restaurant terrace is not the one I've been seeing earlier.

I hope they are a pair and will be nesting under the Dell bridge. Neither of them has the black bib characteristic of a male, but they don't get that till their second year.

A Wood Pigeon strolled through the wildflower patch in the Rose Garden looking for tasty plants.

In the Grey Herons' nest at the west end of the island you could just see the heron with the very red bill sitting down. I hope this is a sign that they have eggs and are serious about breeding.

The young herons in the other nest were visible but not doing anything worth photographing.

A heron in the Italian Garden posed elegantly on an urn.

This urn is fairly new, having been made to replace a damaged one when the garden was restored in 2010. You can see two of the original urns dating from 1860, now very eroded by acid London rain. 

The Mandarin pair were in the Italian Garden in the morning ...

... but later flew on to the Serpentine to resume their persecution of the lone drake.

A female Gadwall looked quietly elegant.

This is the sort of muck the ignorant bird feeders on the Serpentine are throwing at the Mute Swans. The mould infects the swans' feathers and gives them pink patches.

The Black Swan on the Round Pond called to his Mute girlfriend in a language she couldn't understand.

The gravel strip on the pond has now been completed. It's only ten feet from the shore and a swimming dog or fox could reach it in seconds, so it offers no protection to roosting waterfowl. They could at least have put a mesh fence on the land side.

At the moment its only tenants are Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-Backs.

A Wren hopped around under the plywood fence of the Lido.

A Robin sang in its customary place in the bushes between the bathing area and the restaurant ...

... where a pair of Carrion Crows perched together on the weathervane.

The Coal Tit in the paperbush in the Flower Walk ...

... was joined by a Rose-Ringed Parakeet, which didn't try to eat the tough flowers.

However, the flowers provide nectar for Buff-Tailed Bumblebees.

Rival Feral Pigeons glared at each other through the leaf yard railings and there was a brief scuffle.

The Little Owl at the Round Pond was in the same place as yesterday, sheltering from the wind.

A young Herring Gull at the Serpentine island has an odd over-length hooked beak. It didn't seem to be disadvantaged by this.

A Cormorant in particularly showy breeding plumage stood on a post at the bridge.

A pair of Mute Swans washed together on the Serpentine.

The Black Swan was with his new girlfriend on the Round Pond. He was uttering melodious squeaks which meant nothing to her, but perhaps she likes being serenaded in an unknown language.

The Mandarin pair in the Italian Garden have driven off the spare drake ...

... who was by himself on the Serpentine.

A Tufted drake was looking very smart, and formidably tufty.

On the chilly day of the vernal equinox, with intermittent drizzle, it seemed unlikely that the Little Owl at the Round Pond would be out. But there he was, sheltering from the wind on the trunk of a horse chestnut tree.

A male Starling sang and flapped his wings on a dead tree near the Speke obelisk where the pair have their nest hole. You can tell the sex of a Starling by the colour at the base of its bill, especially in the breeding season: blue for boys, pink for girls.

The female Blackbird I photographed yesterday was looking for worms on the ground below.

A male Chaffinch perched on the twig of a pink-flowered hawthorn about to blossom.

The Serpentine bridge has now been inspected to check that no more bits are falling off, and you can walk through the tunnels again. A Great Tit usually greets me as I approach the tunnel, which I haven't been able to do for weeks. But there he was, dancing with impatience on the post of a notice board ...

... and the architrave of the tunnel entrance while I photographed him before giving him his pine nut.

Four Jays came out at Mount Gate to be fed.

A light drizzle was falling as the Cormorants at the island tried to dry their wings. Flapping seemed to help.

The Cormorants on the fallen poplar in the Long Water had a retinue of Pochards.

A Grey Heron looked for fish in the gaps of the reeds next to the Italian Garden.

The heron with the very red bill has been on the nest at the west end of the island for three days. It's possible they may be serious about nesting now, but don't get your hopes up as they can shilly-shally for months.

The Great Crested Grebes have returned to the nest under the willow opposite Peter Pan which they started and then abandoned. Again, this is likely to be an on-off affair, but the longer they delay the more small fish there will be for chicks.

A line of Mute Swans passed the row of moored pedalos at the island.

The headwind was strong enough to tempt some of them to do a bit of flying.

Egyptian Geese loudly claimed a tree in the leaf yard. The female quacked and the male hissed. This old sweet chestnut tree has large holes in it, and they may have found one suitable for nesting in.

Blackbirds are generally slower to start singing than the other songbirds, but this one near the Italian Garden was in full song.

His mate listened from the next tree.

A Greenfinch sang monotonously from a nearby treetop. They are all round the Long Water, where I heard six males today.

On a lower branch a Robin joined its voice to the chorus. They too are singing everywhere.

Another sang in the corkscrew hazel in the Flower Walk ...

... and a Coal Tit looked down from a higher branch.

Most of the Redwings seem to have left. I saw just one in the whole day, near the Speke obelisk.

A Wren dashed frantically around in a tree near the Buck Hill shelter. I was lucky to get a picture at all.

The Little Owl at the Round Pond stayed in his hole on a rather chilly morning, but came out on to the horse chestnut tree later.

An Egyptian Goose has taken to standing on his nest tree.

A Wood Pigeon strolled through the wildflower patch in the Rose Garden. It didn't try to eat any of the flowers, though they gorge on many kinds of tree blossom. I wonder whether these ground-flowering plants have evolved poisons or nasty tastes to avoid being eaten. Certainly aconites and autumn crocuses are poisonous.

The Grey Heron chicks weren't in an adventurous mood, and stayed in the nest.

The other pair of adults are now favouring the nest at the west end of the island.

The heron on the steps by the bridge was on the usual perch on the handrail. Its eye is looking better but it's still blinking more than normally.

The Great Crested Grebe pair on the Long Water were hanging around the willow near the bridge, which seems to be their favourite spot.

Three Mandarins appeared on the Serpentine. The pair vigorously repelled the spare drake.

This male Blackbird and his mate can be found along the path between the Buck Hill shelter and the Henry Moore sculpture, a territory about 100 yards wide.

The catastrophic fall in the Blackbird population since the introduction of the leaf blower to destroy their habitat -- over 90 per cent in the past 50 years -- means that you can now be certain that you are seeing the same ones in a general area. With fewer birds, the size of their territories has increased, but with less leaf litter full of insects and worms they need wider territories. This area in the woodland beside the Long Water, behind railings and hard of access, has remained fairly natural.

There is a Song Thrush -- maybe a pair, the sexes look the same -- in an overlapping territory a little to the south. Here is one of them on the far side of the lawn under the Henry Moore statue.

The Chiffchaff on the opposite side of the path reappeared in the same tree as yesterday. They have nested in the nearby bramble patch in past years.

Robins remain plentiful. One sang on a tree near the Round Pond.

The olive tree at the east end of the Lido restaurant terrace is a constant Robin song perch. This has been going on for many years, and it must be a succession of Robins that is keeping the place active.

Dunnocks are such surreptitious birds that it's impossible to understand their territorial behaviour, but there are places where you often see one. Here is one on the steps up to the bridge, a place where I've photographed it before.

Redwings are winter migrants and when they are here and stay in a flock, roaming together over a wide area. This one was near the Speke obelisk.

The birds that you can feed are easy to track. I picked up this male Chaffinch in a flower bed at Mount Gate ...

... and he followed me all the way to the Flower Walk, demanding pine nuts.

A Grey Wagtail wandered around the boat hire platform. The grooved planking collects bird droppings which attract insects, so it's a popular hunting ground.

A Pied Wagtail hunted in the Italian Garden. Here it's the food dropped by visitors which attracts the insects it eats.

Pied Wagtails in public places full of people often become very approachable, confident in their ability to shoot into the air. Ahmet Amerikali photographed this one wandering through the crowds at the Surrey Quays shopping centre.

The Little Owl was in his usual tree, though the Saturday crowds were bothering him and he soon flew off to a higher tree.

A Herring Gull at the Dell restaurant finished off the remains of the pigeon-killing Lesser Black-Back's lunch.

Under the Grey Heron nest at the Serpentine island, one of the last year's offspring contemplated its reflection.

The dominant Mute Swan pair were in the Italian Garden. With no one present to offer them unhealthy bread they were cropping off algae from the stonework, much more healthy for them than any human offering.

A Chiffchaff flitted around in a horse chestnut tree near the Henry Moore sculpture. They nest in the brambles here.

A Wren perched on a fallen branch in the woodland across the path.

The Long-Tailed Tits nesting near the Italian Garden were dashing through the trees.

There are still plenty of Redwings near the Round Pond.

When the morning rain stopped the Little Owl came out in his usual horse chestnut tree.

The Blackbird in the Rose Garden is still very nervous but can be persuaded to take raisins on the ground.

The paperbush in the Flower Walk provided a backdrop for the familiar tatty Blue Tit ...

... a smart one ...

... and a Honeybee.

A male Chaffinch was digging in the grass looking for insects.

A Wood Pigeon wandered through the crocuses by the Albert Memorial.

Two Carrion Crows enjoyed leftovers at the Lido restaurant.

The young Grey Herons on the island have now reached the stage of walking around the edge of their nest. Soon they will be out and climbing in the branches. This looks perilous as they can't fly yet, but I've never seen one of these well-balanced birds lose its footing.

A fine picture by Virginia of a Cormorant flying in evening sunshine.

The Little Grebe hasn't left the park. Duncan Campbell saw it today on the Long Water.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes poked around in the Coots' nest under the bridge while its owners were away. They were looking for insects. The grebes haven't yet started nesting themselves. When they do they'll be back stealing twigs.

A dramatic picture by Virginia of an Egyptian Goose charging a rival. This was taken at the Round Pond, where the Egyptians are particularly aggressive because they can see each other across the open pond.

Today's star was a male Stonechat hunting around the Speke obelisk.

It paused in a bramble patch.

On the ground below a Jay bathed in a puddle.

It flew up on to a branch to dry, then started digging out larvae from under the bark.

There were still some Redwings in the trees nearby ...

... and a Stock Dove perched on a dead branch.

Several Long-Tailed Tits could be seen flying in and out of their nests in the brambles. This one was at Palace Gate, right next to the busy Kensington Road.

A Wren came out of the brambles beside the Long Water.

A Grey Wagtail appeared at the boat hire platform.

It trotted up the edge of the lake collecting larvae.

Then it flew to the top of the Dell waterfall. If there's a pair here they'll nest nearby. They love running water.

The Grey Heron chicks have started climbing around the edge of the nest. They'll be out in the branches soon.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes displayed east of the Lido ...

... and another under the willow by the bridge.

A Coot on the other side of the bridge took it easy under the railings.

A Gadwall drake chewed a budding twig that had been broken off into the water.

A squirrel emerged from a hole in a tree near the Buck Hill shelter.

The visiting Redwings are gone from the Parade Ground as the laying of new turf nears completion, but there are still some in Kensington Gardens.

Unprotected by a fence and out in the open they are hard to approach, but if you stand still they will forget about you and come down from the trees. They were doing quite well with small worms.

The Goldcrest near Peter Pan was singing and leaping around in the bushes.

There are several Long-Tailed Tits' nests, all so far invisible in the bushes but you can hear the birds and see them flying in and out. This one was in a bramble patch near the Italian Garden.

The Blue Tit with a yellow face came out behind the Albert Memorial. Earlier, Neil wondered whether its face was stained by yellow pollen, but the colour seems to be permanent.

This is one of a pair of Coal Tits here, both of which will come to your hand.

The reliable paperbush in the Flower Walk, whose flowers are remarkably long lasting as well as fragrant, provided a background for another Blue Tit ...

... a Robin ...

... and a male Chaffinch.

This female Chaffinch was at the top of the steps leading down to the bridge.

I couldn't find the Little Grebe despite going round the Italian Garden for a quarter of an hour. I think that the breakdown of the fountains must have reduced its food supply. Or possibly it was feeling the call of spring and flew off to look for a mate.  This picture taken yesterday may be a farewell shot of this amiable bird, which has been here for three months.

A Cormorant in breeding plumage fishing under the marble fountain had a particularly striking colour scheme.

Pairs of Greylag and Canada Geese confronted each other near the boathouses, and there was a brief fight. Afterwards they honked a bit before settling down.

A bold fox has dug an earth in plain view in the shrubbery below the Triangle car park. This is where a black fox was seen a couple of years ago, and it may be the same one.

Some pictures from outside the park. Ahmet Amerikali found the Firecrest in Southwark Park again yesterday. The London Bird Club Wiki is reporting more Firecrests than usual in various parts of London, but not this one.

Joan Chatterley was at Walthamstow Wetlands, where a Kingfisher is showing well ...

... and so is a Goldeneye drake in his very smart breeding plumage.

The most remarkable picture today was taken by Mark Williams in St James's Park. After nine years of feeding the birds there, during which that he has almost become part of the scenery, finally a Long-Tailed Tit came to his hand. He was offering it suet, which it found irresistible and spent some time feeding.

He also shot a video, which is on Twitter here.

Back in our park, nothing sensational was happening but the sunshine brought out the male Little Owl at the Round Pond. He doesn't feel safe in this place which is not very far from the ground, and you have to approach him diagonally to avoid scaring him back into the hole.

One of the Blue Tits in the Flower Walk posed on a paperbush flower ...

... and a male Chaffinch perched in yellow jasmine blossom at Mount Gate.

I was trying to photograph a Robin on the ground below either with its mate or against a background of daffodils, and didn't manage either. But I did get it with a tiny worm it had found.

The usual male Pied Wagtail on the south shore of the Serpentine picked up a larva.

There were still Redwings in the trees around the Speke obelisk ...

... but I think we may have seen the last of the ones on the Parade Ground. Most of the bare ground where they hunted is now covered in new turf and workmen are busy filling in the last gap.

There's still plenty of plum blossom below the Triangle car park to keep the resident pair of Wood Pigeons happy.

Someone threw a couple of bits of apple to a young Herring Gull, which examined them and didn't like them.

The peculiar brown Great Spotted Woodpecker has turned up in St George's Fields just north of Hyde Park, where Mike Harris got a record shot of it on his phone.

Another picture from elsewhere: Caroline Reay got a good shot of a Barn Owl flying in daylight at Wallasea Island in Essex.

The Grey Heron chicks in the nest on the Serpentine island are still in good order, but I'm surprised that they haven't yet started climbing about in the tree.

The heron at the steps on the bridge came up to a branch to have a look around.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes have a new nest on the Long Water. They built a previous one on the other side but it was stolen by a Coot.

The fountains in the Italian Garden are out of order, so the Little Grebe was having an unusually quiet day. Time to attend to its feathers.

A Moorhen stood on one of the silent spray heads.

A Grey Wagtail stepped quickly over a carpet of floating leaves on the Serpentine. If it had stopped it would have fallen through.

The Redwings were again coming right down to the fence on the Parade Ground. If you move slowly you can get within ten feet of one.

A Blackbird near the Dell had a moment of anticipation before eating a worm it had just pulled up.

A male Chaffinch at the back of the Albert Memorial waited for a pine nut to be thrown into the air for him to catch. I'm sure they enjoy showing off their flying skill.

A Carrion Crow which had been bathing in a planter in the Italian Garden shook itself dry on a rail.

A Dunnock stared from the bushes beside the steps at the bridge.

The Grey Heron that perches here and has an injured right eye seems to be improving. It's still blinking a lot but there's no sign of inflammation. I think it may have scratched its cornea when lunging for something.

A Black-Headed Gull beside the Serpentine hovered in the strong wind, keeping an eye on someone who was throwing bits of bread.

A young one in the Italian Garden was playing with a bit of soggy tissue.

The Little Grebe wasn't doing anything new, but it's always a pleasure to see it diving away.

The dominant pair of Mute Swans on the Long Water are showing the first signs of wanting to nest on the artificial island that was built for their use (though only the female survives from the original pair it was made for).

The strong wind over the Serpentine encouraged another pair to take to the air.

The Round Pond, an exposed place, was lashed by the wind. Black-Headed Gulls searched for small water creatures washed up on the shore. A Coot had a bumpy ride on the waves. Even the Egyptian Geese lying low on the grass were getting ruffled.

Virginia filmed workmen making a gravel bank here. The idea is to make a safe place for birds, away from foxes and the dogs that irresponsible owners let loose around the pond. The fence on the shore side should provide some protection against swimming to the bank.

A pair of Egyptians claimed a tree near the Serpentine Gallery. I've seen them examining a possible nest hole in a tree just the other side of the building.

The water filter at the outflow of the Serpentine had got blocked again, and Hydro Cleansing had been called to clear it out. It's always interesting to look at the apocalyptic paintings on their lorries. I suppose the idea of having the Terminator is that they end blockages, but it's kind of them to warn cyclists about him.

However, my favourite painting is 'The Wrath of Poseidon', which I photographed in some detail a bit over a year ago -- see here. No doubt the perpetually angry sea god also presides over drains, and blocks those of people who disrespect him.

A Blackbird enjoyed a bath in the Huntress fountain in the Rose Garden.

The Redwings have now been on the Parade Ground for two months, ever since the funfair was dismantled. The normally very shy birds have become quite accustomed to people looking over the fence at them, and approach to within a few feet as they hunt for worms.

A Goldcrest sang in a variegated holly tree near Peter Pan.

There was also a Greenfinch singing wheezily in the top of a tall Lombardy poplar.

A Grey Wagtail trotted down the edge of the Serpentine ...

... and a Pied Wagtail looked for insects between the slates of a boathouse roof.

The Grey Heron chicks were milling around restlessly in the nest. The recent cold weather has kept them from exploring the tree, but it's milder now and they should start climbing around soon.

The heron on the steps at the bridge stays on the handrail despite people constantly going up and down past it. It has a sore right eye but can see out of it, as I discovered by waving at it when that side was turned towards me, so with luck it should heal.

The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull was on his favourite perch on the Dell restaurant roof, while his mate was on the shore hoping to grab a bit of bread. She does get her share of his pigeons.

The Little Grebe in the Italian Garden has been here for three months, during which it has changed into its full chestnut breeding plumage -- but there is no sign of another Little Grebe to pair up with. I wonder whether it will get the urge to go and find one soon. Both St James's Park and Regent's Park might offer a mate.

One of the Coots nesting under the bridge resented the approach of a Cormorant.

The Black Swan on the Round Pond has dropped his young grey girlfriend and taken up with an adult female.

A pair of Mandarins appeared under the willow nest to the bridge.

This tall sturdy hellebore plant near the Vista is much bigger than the cultivated varieties elsewhere in the park. PlantNet thinks it's Stinking Hellebore, Helleborus foetidus.

I was surprised to find a Common Puffball here, but apparently they can come up at any time of year.

The Buck Hill shelter saw further celebrations of the Holi festival.

A Saturday with reasonable weather and even occasional sunshine had brought crowds into the park. The Lido restaurant terrace was packed, attracting Starlings which lined up on the railings waiting to snatch a morsel.

They are particularly fond of chips.

The very mobile Kensington Garden flock of Redwings were near the Round Pond.

The Redwings on the fenced-off Parade Ground aren't worried by crowds, but a tractor with a harrow frightened them into the trees.

After the tractor had gone away, they came down from the trees and started dashing around on the bare earth.

I've often seen this Wren in the Diana fountain car park, but it's very shy and this is the first time I've got a picture of it.

Less success with the Long-Tailed Tits nesting by the bridge, which simply wouldn't perch without at least one twig in the way.

But the Coal Tits in the Flower Walk are now quite easy, as you just have to stand by the paperbush and they will arrive and wait to be fed.

The male Pied Wagtail on the edge of the Serpentine isn't worried by the passing crowds as long as it doesn't think it's being looked at.

There is enough space in the Diana fountain enclosure for a Grey Wagtail to hunt near the edge even when there are people around the watercourse.

A Cormorant fished over the wire baskets under the bridge. These baskets full of twigs are fish hatcheries for perch, and perhaps some of last year's fish are still hanging around them.

The Grey Heron chicks on the island could be seen in the nest but weren't showing well, so here is one of last year's offspring of the same pair of adults, wandering around near the Serpentine outflow.

The Little Grebe in the Italian Garden was in its usual pool. It has never even looked at any of the other pools, although they have uncut irises which offer better cover.

A flock of a dozen Gadwalls on the Long Water were feeling the onset of spring and dashing around quacking at each other, which is not the way these very quiet ducks usually behave.

The workmen laying new turf were at the far end of the Parade Ground and the shy Redwings felt confident enough to come right down to the fence ...

... where they dashed about in their energetic way.

A male Pied Wagtail trotted along the edge of the Serpentine ...

... constantly tweeting.

It was cold and there was a keen wind blowing over the Round Pond. The female Little Owl was well down in her hole, but one yellow eye looked out suspiciously.

A pair of Jackdaws perched in a sweet chestnut near the leaf yard. These battered 332-year-old trees are full of holes ideal for a Jackdaw nest.

A Blue Tit looked out from a deodar behind the Albert Memorial ...

,.. and a Coal Tit perched among sprouting leaves.

A Robin on a bramble was lit by a shaft of sunlight.

The aggressive Black-Headed Gull was patrolling the landing stage which he regards as his and his alone.

Unlike the noisy Black-Headed Gulls, the Common Gulls in the park are a fairly silent lot except when they are screaming in an aerial competition for a bit of food. Here two exchange calls -- not exactly a display but it's clear that they are a pair.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes displayed under the bridge ...

... and the Little Grebe was busy as usual in the Italian Garden. It's getting increasingly annoyed by photographers and now surfaces on the far side of the planters, so you have to take it by surprise. I hate to bother it, but we have to have pictures of this charming creature.

A Moorhen was looking very relaxed on the edge of the Serpentine.

The dominant Mute Swan pair were in the Italian Garden.

They might seem to be uninterested in their bespoke nesting island, but some white feathers shed by preening tell a different story.

One of the few remaining Cormorants perched here, but in Battersea Park it's a different story, with 105 reported on its much smaller lake yesterday on the London Bird Club Wiki. Clearly it's something to do with the availability of fish.