The Jackdaws appeared again today -- four of them.

Paul Turner was feeding Charlie the Carrion Crow on the bench near the Tawny Owls' nest tree when they turned up, and one of them dashed in and stole Charlie's biscuit from under his beak. They have started as they mean to continue. Their headquarters seems to be a hole in a tree near the Speke obelisk. I hope these entertaining birds establish themselves in the park.

The male Tawny Owl was present as usual on the balcony in the nest tree.

He was rather restless, watching a large dog that was prowling about under the tree -- though why he should worry about a dog when he is 40 ft up a tree baffles me. The small songbirds in the trees are also upset when a dog passes underneath, though they too are perfectly safe where they are.

The Little Grebe -- the only one at the moment, I think -- was fishing in the reeds near the Italian Garden.

There was a brisk Coot fight at Peter Pan. Here one of them kicks its opponent squarely in the belly, lifting it right out of the water.

As usual, there were several Pied Wagtails running around the Round Pond. Here is one on the edge of the water, caught a few minutes before sunset.

There was a brisk breeze and the bird was working its way downwind. But it couldn't turn its tail to the wind, as its feathers would have been blown about and it might even have lost its footing. So it was running sideways, often at some speed.

A Great Crested Grebe at the bridge had taken advantage of the temporary absence of Cormorants to catch a substantial fish, as large as it could swallow.

Most of the Cormorants were on the Long Water perched on the posts at Peter Pan. But despite the rich fishing to be had at the baskets by the bridge, there are never more than 8 or 10 in the park now, far less than a few years ago when numbers sometimes went into the thirties.

The young Great-Blacked Gull visited the Serpentine again.

The long awaited closure of the funfair has allowed the pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull to return to its usual beat near the Dell restaurant, though it didn't do anything dramatic while I was there. When the enormous apparatus of this dismal entertainment has been taken away, which takes a long time, the large ruined and roped-off area where it stood will be worth watching. Nothing encourages birds like the absence of humans, and we hope to see Redwings, Fieldfares and maybe a Wheatear. But first the people have to dismantle their Tower of Power and all their other ghastly gear.

The male Tawny Owl was in his usual place on the balcony. He didn't wake up when I was there, and I didn't want to disturb him.

A male Tufted Duck was preening his white belly near Peter Pan. They turn upside down to do this, a pleasing sight.

And a female Red Crested Pochard was having a wash at the Serpentine Island.

Both Tawny Owls appeared today, a welcome surprise. The female owl was at the top of the hole in the nest tree ...

... and the male was on the balcony.

In previous years the top of the tree was the male's favourite spot, and the balcony the female's, but owls are allowed to change their minds. It is unusual to see the female outside at this time of year, and suggests that they will be nesting later than usual -- but still earlier than Tawny Owls do elsewhere.

A second-winter Herring Gull was diving energetically on the Serpentine.

After a while it came up with what at first looked like a crayfish, and I think the gull thought so too. But when it had brought its prize ashore, it turned out to be a hollow piece of black rubber, perhaps the tip of a crutch or pole.

After examining it, the gull threw it away and went off to find something better.

Our old friend the black and white Mallard appeared, accompanied as usual by her rather pale mate, whose back is almost white although his head is of a normal green colour and not the iridescent red-brown that often occurs in pale Mallard drakes.

Some regular park visitors were feeding the pair, and said that they called the black and white duck Bill. I had to point out that Bill was certainly a girl, since I have seen her faithfully accompanying her distinctive mate for two years. So now she is Wilhelmina.

As I was leaving the lake I saw a pair of Great Crested Grebes about to dance, and just managed to get this rather distant shot, taken through an arch of the bridge.

Another very ordinary day, but at least the female Tawny Owl added a bit of distinction to the proceedings. (I wrote 'male' when I put this post up, but this is definitely the female. I wasn't expecting her, and carelessly forgot to look closely at the picture.)

Only Paul Turner and I were there to admire this fine bird, as the bad weather earlier in the day had kept people out of the park.

The black-faced Mute Swan is still on the lake.

He looked blacker than ever, and the knob on his bill seemed larger. Looking back to the picture I took on 14 July last year, I think this is really so. There can't be two swans with this peculiarity on the lake.

It was business as usual for the Cormorants fishing near the bridge, and here a perch meets its end.

Paul said that earlier he had seen a Cormorant and a Great Crested Grebe fishing side by side, apparently without conflict. Grebes are faster than Cormorants and can scoot out of the way if trouble looms.

Just above, on the bridge arch, a Great Tit was hanging acrobatically from an overhang in the stonework.

The slight roughness of the Portland limestone gives just enough purchase for its claws. This bridge was designed by John Rennie, who also designed the last but one London Bridge -- the one that is now at Lake Havasu in Arizona -- and the two much resemble each other.

After some recent pictures of glamorous male Pochards, here is a female Pochard looking quietly elegant, with delicate frosty patterns on the feathers of her back and sides.

A day of alternate sunshine and violent downpours. This Great Crested Grebe happily went on fishing as the rain pelted down at the height of a thunderstorm.

Some areas are flooded, and the floods are not just welcome to water birds. Here a Feral Pigeon is taking the opportunity to have a bath.

The gulls were enjoying the strong wind. I think this young one is a Herring Gull, as its inner primaries are paler than its outer ones. If it were a Lesser Black-Back its primaries would be the same colour all along. But these gulls are terribly hard to tell apart in their first year, especially from below.

An adult Herring Gull rises dripping water after an unsuccessful dive for a crayfish.

There was a Black-Headed Gull with a plastic ring from the Netherlands: white on black, EAJ0. I photographed it by accident when it flew past the camera as I was trying to take a picture of something else.

I went looking for the Jackdaws and couldn't find them.

And that's about all on a very unexciting day. The rowan trees on Buck Hill have been completely stripped of berries and the birds have deserted them, and there is nothing on the lake or in the shrubberies that you wouldn't expect at this time of year.

Even the reliable male Tawny Owl was difficult today. He was out on his balcony in the morning but was annoyed by a Jay and went into the tree through the hole at the back of the balcony. He didn't emerge again until just before sunset. With all that rain, there wasn't much incentive for him to come out earlier.

Three Jackdaws were seen in Kensington Gardens, and one of them darted up to a Carrion Crow and snatched a digestive biscuit from it. I wasn't there and don't have a picture, but will keep a look out for them. They were north of the Tawny Owls' nest tree, towards the Bayswater Road. This is a slightly unusual species for the park, though a couple paid a brief visit last year, and several years ago I saw one perched on scaffolding in Leinster Terrace, just north of the park.

The male Tawny Owl was in his usual place on the balcony of the nest tree, taking a mild interest in half a dozen people who had come to see him.

Several Nuthatches in the leaf yard came to take food from the fence.

They are getting more and more tolerant of humans and it is not impossible that they will take food from our hand. Looking at their strong, curved, needle-sharp claws, I think this might be a slightly painful privilege.

A Little Grebe returned to the reed bed next to the Italian Garden.

It has already grown its chestnut breeding plumage.

A Pochard, also in full ginger splendour, was preening himself offshore from Peter Pan, giving a view of the beautiful vermiculated pattern on its back.

These Mute Swans at the Lido were cruising up and down opposite sides of the jetty, threatening each other as much as they liked because the barrier prevented it from developing into an actual fight.

When they got to the end of the jetty, they both turned back and menaced each other in the opposite direction.

A very happy New Year to all readers. A pity, though, that the year began with a grandly unpleasant day of heavy rain and gusty wind. After two hours I was saturated and fled home.

It was business as usual for the birds. Here a Cormorant fishing industriously in the choppy water near the bridge stares at me with its innocent blue eyes.

The small birds in the leaf yard were remarkably hungry and flew out in mobs to be fed. At some times I had three on my hand at once and more queuing up my arm.

Some birds seemed to be anticipating the coming of spring. This Jay in the leaf yard was raising his crest uttering that peculiar mixture of squawks and clattering that for Jays is song.

There was no sign of a potential mate in the shrubbery.

These Feral Pigeons have got completely carried away.

Nesting in buildings and living on scraps, they are probably fairly independent of the seasons.

This Great Crested Grebe is already in full breeding plumage.

His big crest and dark colouring suggests that he is quite an old bird, though a lot of it may be down to individual variation. He was at the east end of the Serpentine, where a pair nested last year, but I have compared pictures and he is not one of them. Nor is he the very dark grebe who nested under the willow tree near the bridge, as this one had an almost completely dark face. I don't think I've seen him before.

The male Tawny Owl was in his usual place on the nest tree, a little rain-spattered but impassive.