Great Black-Backed Gull

Great Black-Backed Gulls are occasional visitors to the park. One was standing on the gravel strip on the Long Water with a dead fish too large even for this huge predatory gull to have caught, so it must have died of other causes. The Carrion Crow in the picture gives an idea of how big the gull is, with a wingspan of 5½ feet (1.68 m).

After eating a bit it moved away, and a Grey Heron and a couple of crows had a go.

A crow bathed in the little stream in the Dell.

A row of Black-Headed Gulls stood on a small fallen poplar in the Long Water. All are now getting their dark heads ...

... but are way behind the dominant gull on the landing stage, which has been in full breeding plumage for weeks.

Great Crested Grebes are also variable in the time they get their breeding plumage. The male from the nest at the bridge, seen here by Peter Pan, has never faded into winter plumage but his crest is looking worn and threadbare ...

... while this male on the Serpentine has smart fresh feathers ready for the new year.

The youngest grebe is also off schedule, being very slow to lose its juvenile stripes. It was fishing by itself at the Serpentine outflow and caught a fish, but I missed the shot because it was instantly rushed by a Coot and had to dive. I don't think I've ever seen a young grebe still so stripy when it's fully independent.

The Serpentine island is now a busy place, with a pair of Grey Herons starting to nest at the top left of this picture; one heron claiming a nest site but without its mate from last year  -- this is the one with the very red bill  --- at bottom left; and one unattached bird at top right.

The heron with the red bill looked up at the other two. They're too close for peace, and it will have to choose a different nest. There are quite a lot left from last year in restorable condition.

However, it's worrying that the red-billed heron's mate hasn't shown up this year.

A young heron was fishing in the collapsed willow at the bridge.

Two young Cormorants stood on the remains of the fallen horse chestnut. There are still about a dozen Cormorants in the park but they are catching noticeably fewer fish and must be near the point of diminishing returns.

The Mute Swans on the Serpentine have continued to creep back from the east end despite the threat from the killer swan. There were four on the island at 1.30 pm.

However, at 3 pm a single swan, apparently injured, was reported on the island. It was getting dark on the shortest day and the boat hire place was closing so it was too late to organise a rescue, which will have to be done in the morning. It seems likely that the killer swan had attacked it.

There is a new arrival at the east end of the lake, a small young apparently female swan at front left in this picture. This is not the one that flew in earlier from Regent's Park, which has the ring 4FYW.

The Mallards have returned to the Dell and evicted the Moorhens from their favourite rock.

A party of Long-Tailed Tits passed through the treetops near the Italian Garden. They are very difficult to photograph in dark conditions and this isn't much of a picture.

The Little Owl at the Round Pond has recently been staying out of sight till quite late in the afternoon, so there is also difficulty in getting a reasonable picture of her. But it's good to see her at all.