Magpie fight

A very ordinary day was enlivened by two Magpies brawling at the Triangle. It was an even contest, and one that had been knocked down ...

... jumped up ...

... and floored the other.

It wasn't a serious fight, and afterwards they went off peacefully together.

It's harder for the small birds. The life of a Robin is a constant state of alert, ticking at an intruder and glancing around for a possible threat. Even when they're singing so beautifully they're defending their territory.

Although the day was quite mild, the Little Owl at the Round Pond didn't feel like coming out of her hole.

A Jackdaw perched beside her on the dead tree.

The Chaffinch in the Rose Garden has started following me around, like the very persistent one that keeps turning up all over Kensington Gardens.

There were plenty of people outside at the Lido restaurant, and the Starlings had turned up in force to raid the tables.

Pigeon Eater was in his place on the roof of the Dell restaurant, with no sign of his pale rival.

This young Grey Heron is now usually seen fishing beside the boathouse. It's the one whose sister had a broken leg and was taken to the Swan Sanctuary to be fixed up. A bizarre regulation prevents them from being returned.

The young Great Crested Grebes on the Long Water were still remorselessly chasing their parents ...

... while the two pairs on the Serpentine have nothing to do but rest. This is the western pair which are farther into winter plumage.

It seems a shame that grebes can't call on their relatives to help them with child care, as Long-Tailed Tits and Canada Geese do.

The Long Water is now crowded with Cormorants hoovering up this year's young fish. Almost every suitable suitable perch has one on it. They will stay until some time in the winter when they've caught so many of the fish that they are reaching the point of diminishing returns.

On the Serpentine island they've run out of posts to stand on and are using dead branches on a tree at the west end.

The Mute Swans were at the Vista waiting for someone to come past with food for them. They seldom have long to wait. This is actually quite beneficial because it keeps them on the Long Water most of the time instead of swaggering around the Serpentine beating up the other swans.

At the end of the waterfront the local Moorhen was amusing itself by climbing around in a bush.

The tree-climbing fox was curled up comfortably 10 feet above the ground on the willow at the east end of the Serpentine.