Wren at work

A Wren across the path from the Buck Hill shelter poked around in fallen leaves looking for insects and larvae.

This is where I filmed the Dunnock yesterday, and it was still there busily rummaging in the leaves. It's remarkably unworried by people looking at it.

A Robin taking off from a twig above it was not the one I usually see here which will feed from my hand.

This was farther along the path towards the Henry Moore sculpture, perched among some early catkins ...

... and exchanging insults with another, which is probably its mate in the nesting season.

A Jay watched from the other side of the path.

I spoke to Andrea the gardener in the Dell, who is well informed about park planning. She had a hopeful message: the north side of the Rose Garden will eventually be replanted  with at least some shrubs. This will not be for a while, as there is a lot of work on hand. The Dell waterfall also needs to be rebuilt, a big job scheduled to start in February.

Some of the evicted small birds had taken refuge in the circular yew hedge to the east of the wreck of the shrubbery. They included the male Chaffinch ...

... and one of the pair of Coal Tits.

There were three Robins in here as well, shouting at each other as the small area was too crowded for their liking.

The Grey Heron in the upper nest on the island had just fed the chicks, which were quiet for the time being. Heron chicks are not fed very often, but when they are fed they are absolutely crammed and subside into silence.

The heron at the east end of the island is still sitting ...

... and the one at the west end is still alone, and was passing the time by preening. This pair may not do anything for months.

One of last year's young herons was fishing on the gravel strip at the Vista.

Coots are unstoppable, continuing to build nests in midwinter. This one was in a planter in the Italian Garden fountains.

The nest at Peter Pan is still being enlarged.

The reed bed below the Diana fountain has been partly cut down. They cut about a third of it each year, which is sensible maintenance to keep it from getting too straggly and leaves plenty of reeds for the Reed Warblers when they arrive. Some Moorhens were foraging among the cut stems.

If only they had renewed the shrubs in the Rose Garden on the same lines instead of razing the whole area to the ground.

The killer Mute Swan and his mate were at the bridge with five of the teenagers. The sixth had wandered off, and passed the young swan from the island (which is on the left of this picture). They took no notice of each other.

Another pair of swans were displaying. The nesting season is coming, and with it a nasty surprise for last year's young ones when they are kicked out.

A bold fox came out on the path between the bridge and the Vista. It stared at me and someone else who was photographing it, then trotted unhurriedly to the bramble patch below the Queen's Temple.