Wren in the pergola

A Wren in the Rose Garden looked down from the pergola of climbing roses, where I've seen it before. There doesn't seem to be a nest here, though no doubt there are several in the surrounding bushes.

This Robin in the Flower Walk was quite close to the familiar one that comes to my hand, and may be its mate.

At Mount Gate the Coal Tit ...

... and one of the Blue Tits turned up reliably to be fed. This one is immaculate but the other, evidently its mate, is scruffy with some missing feathers on its face.

Ahmet Amerikali found a Blackcap on the path east of the Italian Garden ...

... and a Green Woodpecker under a tree on Buck Hill, where it can often be heard calling but is very hard to see even with the trees still largely bare. For some reason they seem to be more approachable when they're on the ground that when they're safely up a tree.

More from the Song Thrush beside the Henry Moore sculpture. It would be a pity not to film him when he's on such good form.

A Carrion Crow pecked at a pigeon feather it had found. There might be a tiny shred of flesh attached to the shaft of the feather, or the crow might just have been playing with it.

The Rose-Ringed Parakeets may be a pestilential nuisance, but they do look pretty in a pink-flowered camellia bush.

Two pleasing pictures from Ireland sent in by Tina Coulcher, who visited Avondale Forest an hour's drive from Dublin: a Goldcrest scooting over a yew branch ...

... and a Treecreeper. There are quite a few of these in the park but they are so quiet, shy and well camouflaged that you only notice one occasionally.

The Feral Pigeons by the Lido restaurant continued to bathe ...

... recklessly close to Pigeon Eater waiting offshore with his mate.

The two young Grey Herons preened together in what is now their favourite place on the island.

The Great Crested Grebes from the east end of the island were displaying beside their nest site, clearly warning off the new arrivals.

The Black Swan was at the Lido hooting fondly at his Mute girlfriend, who has no way of replying but always seems pleased by his call.

A midge rested on the kerb of a pool in the Italian Garden. There are many species that look much like this and I have no idea what it is, but they swarm all over the lake and form the main food of the insect-eating birds.