The elusive Green Woodpecker

It was a frosty morning but the sun was bright. The Little Owl at the Round Pond braved the chill and came out into the horse chestnut tree ...

... despite Magpies ...

... and a Jay looking at her from adjacent trees.

Green Woodpeckers are extremely shy. I got a quick still shot of one on the owls' nest tree before it retreated round the back of the trunk. Going round the other way to intercept it, I found it looking warily at me before it flew away.

The number of Egyptian Geese at the Round Pond is steadily increasing. Despite the open pond's complete lack of cover it's a better place to breed than the main lake, as there are fewer big gulls wanting to snatch the young ones. One pair of Egyptians managed to raise seven this summer.

A Jackdaw looked down from a tree at the Diana fountain with the brilliant red sweetgum in the background.

There were surprisingly few small birds to be seen, but the pair of Chaffinches in the Rose Garden came out for their daily treat.

A Starling shone in the sunlight by the small boathouses.

A Grey Heron caught a fish ...

... and two Cormorants were also at work.

More waited on the roof.

Pigeon Eater doesn't have an unvarying diet of pigeon. He is happy to devour bread given him by visitors.

The male Great Crested Grebe on the Long Water was fishing alone under the Italian Garden, no longer troubled by his young.

One of the young ones was at the other end of the Long Water, with its mother but not pestering her.

On the other side of the bridge the two teenagers, which are a bit older, were practising their salute. These weren't hatched here, they flew in with their parents as soon as they were airworthy.

There are still Common Wasps in the fatsia bush by the bridge.

Cold and wet

It was a nasty cold day of intermittent rain and drizzle, though at least it didn't snow in London. The Little Owl at the Round Pond came out briefly to check the weather, decided it wasn't for her, and went back in.

Song Thrushes actually welcome rain, as it brings up worms.

A Feral Pigeon looked damp and depressed on top of the Buck Hill shelter.

For a Carrion Crow in the Italian Garden ...

... and a Jay by the Queen's Temple it was business as usual, demanding peanuts.

The usual Chaffinch found me at the Vista.

A Grey Heron preened at the island. Rain encourages birds to preen, as damp feathers make it easier.

A Cormorant on the boathouse roof felt uncomfortably close to the sharp beak of a heron and edged away.

A Cormorant charged across the water to take off.

The row of Cormorants on the posts at Peter Pan was interspersed with a Common Gull, a Lesser Black-Back, and a Black-Headed Gull. But Cormorants rule these perches and can knock off a gull of any size (except possibly a huge and ferocious Great Black-Back, a rare visitor to the park).

Others were fishing cooperatively under the Italian Garden.

Pigeon Eater chased away a young Herring Gull. He doesn't like other large gulls on his territory, though he ignores the smaller Black-Headed Gulls which present no threat to his dominance.

The dominant Black-Headed Gull on the Diana fountain landing stage is now almost completely into spring breeding plumage, months early.

Moorhens skittered around on the wet pavement of the Italian Garden.

A pair of Gadwalls rested on a fallen branch at the Vista.

A reminder from Tom that the sun does come out occasionally: a Starling at the Round Pond. It's unusual to see one with a ring, and more or less impossible to read it.

He also got a picture of a remarkably bright Goldcrest in the Flower Walk.

Free as a bird

There's a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers that visit the Rose Garden, though you only see one occasionally. This is the male, as you can see from the red patch on the back of his head.

The picture was taken looking straight up against the sky on a dull day, but it was possible to get a reasonable result thanks to a fine camera and a certain amount of electronic jiggery-pokery. This can't be done with video, as the camera is much less capable and the editing facilities limited to brightness, contrast and saturation. Nevertheless, it's quite interesting to see the bird leaping about looking for insects on the twigs.

On the lawn below Carrion Crows threw fallen leaves around, looking for worms and insects hiding underneath.

The female Chaffinch is getting bolder, and came out on the path to appeal for a pine nut.

Her mate was equally insistent in a flower bed.

I was putting a pine nut on the railings for an unusually shy Great Tit when the local Robin bombed in and grabbed it, colliding with my hand.

The Little Owl at the Round Pond stayed at the back of her hole.

A Pied Wagtail hunted along the edge of the water.

A Jackdaw celebrated its freedom. No laws, no police, no journalists, no taxes and above all no politicians.

A Herring Gull on the Serpentine ate a dead fish it had found.

A Common Gull perched on a handrail. There are now quite a few of them on the Serpentine.

Another shifted awkwardly on the sharp edge of one of the new plastic signs with which the park is now infested. It soon flew away to find somewhere more comfortable.

The boat hire is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in winter, so the large mob of Cormorants can expand on to the platform ...

... leaving a few posts free for a Grey Heron and a Lesser Black-Backed Gull.

A Moorhen had a wash on the edge of the lake, but retreated to the shore when a Canada Goose barged in.

The Moorhen at the Vista was climbing around in its favourite bush.

A pair of Gadwalls fed under the bushes at the end of the Lido.

A line of Tufted drakes cruised up the lake.

Pied Wagtail coming close

If you see a Pied Wagtail working its way up the water's edge and stand still, it will come right up to you and pass by inches away. This one was at the Round Pond.

It was a raw day and the Little Owl was staying in her hole. I only managed to see her at all by coming back as it was beginning to get dark, so this is a very poor picture.

The usual Great Tit following me around the Rose Garden perched against an autumnal background.

The female Chaffinch also came out of the bushes.

This is the male of the pair of Blackbirds in the Dell that have nested successfully for several years. This year they fledged three young. If only the other Blackbirds could do so well.

The Robin at Peter Pan was in the same place as yesterday, looking expectant. It seems I have a new regular customer.

Two Carrion Crows at the Kensington Palace café enjoyed the remains of an achingly expensive scone with Tiptree strawberry jam (you can just see the royal warrant on the label).

A Herring Gull, a Common Gull and some Black-Headed Gulls harassed a Black-Headed Gull which had got a bit of food and forced it to drop its prize. Of course it was the Herring Gull that got it.

After yesterday's video of a general view of Black-Headed Gulls washing, here is a closer look at one having a vigorous rinse and flap. It's a first-year bird still with some tweedy brown feathers.

Pigeon Eater had finished his bloody lunch and was preening.

It's not just Grey Herons that fish at the boathouse. Two Cormorants were diving under the concrete beams to seize fish that thought they were safe in the shadows.

Great Crested Grebes also fish here, but this one preferred to hunt under the moored boats.

The young grebes on the Long Water are now completely independent and having to fend for themselves. This is the testing time when they have to catch enough fish to stay alive  until their skills improve.

A Moorhen crossed the small waterfall in the Dell, picking out anything edible that was being washed over the top.

A Red-Crested Pochard drake rested at the island.

There were four more on the Long Water.

A Shoveller drake fed under the willow by the bridge.

A squirrel hung on with every available claw to reach down and drink from the Huntress fountain in the Rose Garden.