A Cormorant which had been fishing under the balustrade of the Italian Garden ...

... took off and flew down the lake to the line of posts by Peter Pan. One of them had a young Herring Gull on it, but the posts on either side were unoccupied. The Cormorant headed straight for the gull and knocked it off.

The rain had made this Pied Wagtail sadly bedraggled.

That is not a problem with water birds, and this handsome Shoveller drake was as dry as ever.

And a Great Crested Grebe had a little pool of water on its shoulders, held in place by its well greased plumage.

A pair of grebes were inspecting a possible nest site between two baskets at the island, and paused for a display.

They are not serious about nesting at the moment, and this is just the equivalent of people staring idly into estate agents' windows at pictures of houses they will never buy.

The pair of Grey Herons on the island were not bothering with their half completed nest, and were mooching around on the baskets.

This Lesser black-Backed Gull is already losing the grey winter flecks on its head and returning to the pure white of its breeding plumage.

A young Herring Gull had taken a bit of apple from a Canada Goose.

I have no idea what the Black-Headed Gull at the front of this chase is holding. It looks like a bit of tripe, but that seems unlikely. Whatever it is, the other gull wants it.