Pigeon Eater asserts himself

The approach of the nesting season has made Pigeon Eater more aggressive, as it has other birds. He called loudly ...

... and chased off the gulls on his patch, including the small Black-Headed Gulls which he usually doesn't bother with.

When a bird starts preening, the others around it tend to copy it, even if they're different species. A Gadwall pair started off a Black-Headed Gull, and then another gull arrived and couldn't help joining in.

The Grey Heron pair were standing together on the nest at the west end of the Serpentine island. One preened, the other adjusted the nest. They don't need to sit continuously on the eggs, which are quite large and stay warm for several minutes.

The heron at the northwest corner of the bridge preened on a branch.

A Coot had a vigorous wash and a flap to settle its feathers.

A Moorhen had got into one of the new reed beds through a loose bit of plastic netting. The protective covers on the floating rafts are not up to the job and are all squashed by the heavy Mute Swans walking over them.

The Black Swan was following 4GIQ as usual. When they saw me they came over for some sunflower hearts.

There was a pair of swans on the nesting basket east of the Lido, but it never seems to be the same pair twice. The male here is 4GIX and the female has only a metal ring, not one of Bill Haines's orange plastic ones.

The pair of Egyptian Geese at Peter Pan often claim territory from the sawn-off black poplar tree at the side of the waterfront. The trees where they choose to noisily claim ownership are never the ones where they actually nest. Shouting there might attract a predator.

There were two Pied Wagtails on the edge of the Serpentine at Fisherman's Keep, amd I think one was the usual female's mate, though I didn't get close enough to be sure of its sex. This is the female, distinguishable by two dark streaks across her left shoulder.

A Carrion Crow in the Dell was plotting a deed without a name.

The small birds in the Rose Garden know roughly when I will arrive and have taken to waiting on the approach and coming for pine nuts before I even get into the gate. This Blue Tit was in a cedar on the north side of the garden ...

... and there was also a Coal Tit. This is the one of the pair that comes to my hand, and it has little white specks above its eyes.

They other doesn't. It was on a tree inside the garden.

There are still no Redwings on the mud in the Parade Ground, or indeed anything interesting. Tom sent a fine picture of a Redwing eating berries at Rainham Marshes.

The male Robin at Mount Gate was on the railings in front of his dogwood bush ...

... and the female looked up from the path.