The pair of Ring-Necked Parakeets were in the bushes on the path near the leaf yard, to the delight of the Sunday visitors who clustered around taking pictures of them. The female bird kept coming down to take peanuts from my hand, while the male perched ineffectually on a twig, clearly wanting a peanut too but not having the courage to approach. Instead, he tried to steal the nut from his mate, but she brushed him away with a casual gesture of her wing and went on eating, like the sensible bird she is.

There was a Goldcrest in the small shrubbery east of the Lido, flying around with a large flock of Long-Tailed Tits. They are tiny: the smallest bird in the Old World, since we don't have hummingbirds.

These winter foraging expeditions are almost always led by Long-Tailed Tits, and may include Blue and Coal Tits and, less often, Great Tits, though these are a bit too large to mix easily with the others. And any kind of small bird with similar habits can join in, such as Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs. Once I saw a Firecrest in such a flock, but these are fairly rare in the park.

The young Egyptian Geese by the Round Pond are down to five. One was killed by a dog yesterday.

Immediately after I took this picture, the parents chivvied the young birds into the water as someone approached with a small dog. It was on a lead, but they were taking no chances.

Four Common Gulls were chasing a Black-Headed Gull carrying a piece of bread thrown by a visitor.

Common Gulls often fly in very close formation, nimbly avoiding collisions as they swirl in tight turns. This is not because they particularly sociable; they are simply all after the same bit of food.