Wagtails

A pair of Pied Wagtails streaked up the Lido calling loudly to each other and landed on the restaurant terrace, which was deserted on a grey drizzly day. One looked for insects in the remains of food spills on the terrace ...

... and the other checked the leaves on the edge of the Serpentine.

The usual young Grey Wagtail was hunting up and down the edge at the Triangle car park.

A Wren chittered and hopped around in a bush in the Dell.

Two Wood Pigeons stuffed themselves with ivy berries on a tree beside the Long Water.

A Carrion Crow stared hungrily from an urn in the Italian Garden.

Understandably, the Little Owl at the Round Pond stayed in her hole all day.

The Peregrines were on the barracks tower, looking soggy and miserable in the drizzle.

On my way home I went to the Cromwell Road to try to find the Peregrines there, which would show that there are two pairs of birds. But they weren't visible, so it's still uncertain.

Black-Headed Gulls clustered thickly on the fallen poplar in the Long Water, with a single Common Gull on the highest twig.

Many people think that Black-Headed Gulls are dull. But they are the most ringed of species and their movements are often wide and interesting -- though probably not in the case of Yellow 2F12, which was ringed by the North Thames Gull Group and may have been no farther afield than the Pitsea landfill site in Basildon. I'll report it anyway, as I've not seen it before.

Gulls also play with toys, especially when young like this one having fun throwing a banana skin about.

And they are highly territorial. This is the dominant gull who owns the landing stage at the Diana fountain, alone on the platform as usual because he had chased all the other birds away.

This Grey Heron is often seen on the raft in the Long Water, and seems to live in peace with the Cormorants there. Even they are wary of its sharp beak.

A dramatic picture from Ahmet Amerikali taken in yesterday's sunshine: a Cormorant catching a perch at the bridge.

A Coot found an apple in the water and hung on to it fiercely, resisting a Black-Headed Gull and a Canada Goose. Finally another Coot sneaked in and carried it off.

A Moorhen searched for insects in the bird droppings on a blue plastic pedalo.