Half a dozen House Martins were hunting insects above the Serpentine.

They don't seem to have started nesting on the French and Kuwaiti embassies' cornices yet, but no doubt more will arrive and they will get going. There are plenty of insects, and there is no reason why the colony should not return to its former numbers after the setback caused by the redecoration of the French embassy.

One of our local Peregrines was circling high over Kensington Gardens -- too high for a decent photograph.

There were also a lot of Mandarins: five males and a lone female chasing each other around the Long Water and Italian Gardens, and another two males standing on a windswept lump of concrete in the partly drained Round Pond.

One of the Grey Wagtails was flying around the Long Water and perched briefly on the fallen horse chestnut tree.

Today's bird posing against a background of pink blossom is a male Chaffinch.

This is the one who follows people around chirping loudly to be fed, and he was visibly peeved by the delay caused by having his picture taken instead of food arriving promptly.

A male Greenfinch was perched in the top of a tree near the bridge. They tend to prefer high perches, while other birds sit safely among the leaves.

The male Little Owl was out again on his usual chestnut tree.

He has been spending a lot of time outside in recent days. Could it be a sign that his mate is now nesting in this tree? We still haven't seen any evidence of breeding during the three years that this pair has been in the park.