The Scaup on the Round Pond emerged from a dive holding a strand of algae, only to have it snatched by a passing Black-Headed Gull, which could not possibly have wanted to eat it but couldn't resist having a grab.

On the Serpentine, a Moorhen climbed on to a post to pursue its unappetizing diet of gull droppings ...

... when it saw someone scattering some little green objects on the shore, which were already attracting Coots, and went over to investigate.

I picked up one of these things, a soft pod about half an inch long with a cleft along one side, but I couldn't identify it. All kinds of exotic eastern produce are thrown to the birds, thanks to the Middle Eastern greengrocers in the nearby Edgware Road. Whatever it was, the Moorhen took one bite and decided it was even less palatable than gull droppings. The Coots also gave up.

On the other side of the lake a Cormorant was fishing, with a Coot right next to it. Both were getting on with their own separate business, not bothering each other.

The pair of Great Crested Grebes at the eastern end of the lake were also fishing in the shallow water at the outflow. I didn't see them catch anything. These two birds are very alike in appearance and build, and I can't tell which is the male and which is the female. Both have broad crests of the type usually possessed by males.

A pair of Mallards at the top of the waterfall in the Dell made a pleasing composition, reminding me of the dioramas they used to have in the Natural History Museum.

The male Tawny Owl took his time before emerging into the drizzle in the late afternoon. Then he had a good scratch.

Under the plane trees across the path there were no Redwings, but a Song Thrush was hopping about waiting for the rain to bring up some worms.

Another pair of Coots is building a nest on the Long Water. They just can't help building nests at the slightest opportunity, however unsuitable the conditions. This one is on a fallen poplar tree to the north of Peter Pan. The nest is on the submerged trunk, from which you can see branches sticking up. It already includes a red ornament -- Coots find this colour particularly exciting.

 

The Scaup is still on the Round Pond. This is a dreadful picture taken at a great distance in bad light, but it does shown the steady progress of his development of adult plumage.

The peculiar black-faced Mute Swan was on the Serpentine, in the same place as I have seen him before, the corner called Fisherman's Keep.

The extra black pigment has no effect on his white plumage. Birds have different genes for skin colour and feather colour.

A Blackbird was bathing energetically in the little pool at the top of the waterfall in the Dell.

The familiar Wren was running around on the tarmac where the Flower Walk crosses the path up from Queen's Gate.

The male Tawny Owl spent the day outside in his usual place on the horse chestnut tree. Although it was a very dim day, it was not particularly cold and he would have been quite comfortable.

Someone has put a tray of seeds encased in fat on a bush in the leaf yard -- for some reason it is hung from a pair of derelict earphones. No doubt the idea was to feed tits, and indeed they were using it, but then a Ring-Necked Parakeet decided to take over. It had some difficulty finding a way to hang on and eat the seeds.

As a change from today's dull grey pictures, here is a fine photograph taken a few days ago by Andy Sunters of a Great Tit landing on my hand.

There was a small flock of Goldfinches around the bird feeder at Kensington Palace.

When I went into Bayswater to do some shopping, the streets were a-twitter with Goldfinches wherever I went. These were on an aerial in Porchester Terrace, a hundred yards north of the park. The numbers of these birds are increasing dramatically.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker appeared at the top of a tree in the leaf yard.

There are usually at least two pairs in here, but we shan't know until spring comes and they start drumming.

A Wren was hopping about in the shrubbery near Peter Pan, and paused on a tree trunk long enough for a quick picture.

The Scaup was on the Round Pond as usual, but was a long way off and not doing anything interesting, so here instead is a picture of an ordinary Tufted Duck preening his belly near Peter Pan.

Near the Serpentine island a Shoveller came into the edge and started scraping algae off the concrete.

These normally shy birds have become very blasé about people staring and pointing cameras at them.

The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull had been sharing a pigeon with his mate and, having eaten his fill, rinsed his beak in the water.

The male Tawny Owl was out on his tree all day, rather surprisingly considering what a grey day it was. But it is less cold, and perhaps even this hardy bird prefers not to sit in an icy blast.

The young Scaup was back on the Round Pond, after spending a couple of days on the Serpentine. Even since my last picture three days ago he has changed his appearance noticeably, with much more white on his sides. He is now looking almost like an adult Scaup from a distance. As you can see, he is also moulting the juvenile brown feathers from his back.

There was a good deal of traffic from the Round Pond to the main lake, with Greylag Geese ...

... and Mute Swans heading for the Serpentine.

Later I saw these swans venturing under the bridge on to the Long Water, where no doubt the dominant swan attacked them and chased them away. Inexperienced swans from the Round Pond don't know they will get a hostile reception.

A Coot was building a nest near Peter Pan, far too early of course, but Coots have a mania for nest building and it keeps them from attacking the other birds.

At the Dell restaurant, the familiar Grey Heron was posing for its photograph. This bird is so used to being given food that it has lost all fear of people.

Nearby, a Great Crested Grebe caught a perch, in the same place as the Cormorant I photographed yesterday. This is now a better place to fish than the wire baskets near the bridge, which Cormorants have almost fished bare. All the fish that I have seen caught in the past few months are perch, although the lake also contains carp, bream and roach.

One of the Coal Tits in the leaf yard finally came down to take food from my hand, twice. One of these times I was talking to some French tourists and not paying attention to the birds, which probably encouraged it.

The male Tawny Owl was out in his usual place by 3.30, by which time it was too dark for a good picture.

There was a pair of Gadwall on the Long Water. These haven't been seen here for several months, although they used to be quite common. There is (or maybe was) a small group of them in Buckingham Palace Gardens, which often made a day trip to the park, and I have seen as many as eight together.

I looked for the Scaup on the Serpentine but couldn't find it -- which is not to say that it wasn't there.

The two adult Mute Swans on the Long Water were alone together, and their seven young were hanging around miserably by the bridge, no doubt having been cheased away by their father. They didn't want to go on to the Serpentine, as things were a bit rough there.

Right at the east end of the Serpentine by the Dell restaurant, inside the line of floating baskets, a Cormorant suddenly surfaced, swallowing a fish. The water here is only a couple of feet deep and crowded with waterfowl, and it is right under the gaze of people eating on the restaurant terrace, so it seemed an odd place for a Cormorant to go fishing.

On the south shore of the Serpentine a Black-Headed Gull was playing with a long willow twig, waving it and throwing it about.

A Goldfinch was waiting its turn at the seed feeder at Kensington Palace.

The two Coal Tits followed me all the way down the leaf yard.

They still won't come to my hand and I think I have missed the opportunity, as they now know that I will eventually put food on the railings for them. A couple of days ago one of them flew to the hand of a girl they didn't even know, and I was envious.

The male Tawny Owl was out on his tree all day.

However, there may be trouble at the oak tree where the Little Owls have been. Lasy year a pair of Stock Doves evicted them from the hole and I never found where they moved to. There was a Stock Dove on the branch today, and I fear that the same thing may happen again.

The Scaup has left the Round Pond. He may be on the Serpentine, though I didn't see him, or he may have recollected where he was trying to go and has gone there.

But there was plenty to see on a sunny day. One of the Little Grebes was resting under the dead willow tree near the Italian Garden, hard to photograph through the twigs and this is the only completely unobstructed view I got.

The Little Owl was looking out of the hole in the oak tree.

When I came back later with Mario to show him the tree, the owl obligingly came out again.

The male Tawny Owl was in his usual place by 3.30.

And there were eight Redwings on the patch of leafmould under the plane trees on the path near the Speke obelisk.

Nearby a piece of bread was lying in the grass. A Magpie and a Wood Pigeon were both heading for it when a Jackdaw whizzed in and grabbed it. It is unusual to beat a Magpie at a quick snatch, and the foiled bird worked off its annoyance by poking furiously in the grass for a worm.

The pair of Starlings who own the nest hole in the Tawny Owls' tree were perched on a bramble stem, looking fine in the sunlight.

A Mute Swan was asleep next to the Dell restaurant, looking like a huge meringue.

Blue Tits are so common that it is easy to forget what bright little birds they are. Compared to the sober colours of most British birds they look quite tropical.

Update: Joe Beale saw the Scaup on the Serpentine about midday. Wendy, who runs the Wino Wendy's Wildlife World blog, was in the park today and we had a brief natter. She has written about her visit, with some good pictures, here.

The Scaup on the Round Pond came right in to the edge today.

If you compare this picture with those taken when he first appeared, especially the close view on 14 January, you will see how much his adult plumage has developed during this time. Four weeks ago he had only a small patch of vermiculated feathers on his back, and no white feathers on his sides.

A male Tufted Duck on the Serpentine was stretching his neck up in a display that is supposed to make him attractive to the female.  Unimpressed, she swam straight on.

The gang of four sibling Canada-Greylag hybrid geese, which I had though was reduced to three, is intact, and here they all are near the Bluebird boat hire platform, obligingly in the same frame -- though I had to rush around for ten minutes to catch them together.

On the far side of the Serpentine a Common Gull was chasing a Carrion Crow, trying to make it drop the food it was holding. This often works, especially when attacking smaller Black-Headed Gulls. But the crow dodged adroitly and settled in a tree out of harm's way to enjoy its meal.

On the Long Water the new tern raft has been built and launched. Although this is a very boring picture you can see that, unlike the previous one, it is well designed, with plenty of buoyancy so that it can be covered with shingle and small round stones, and a couple of shelters for baby terns, maybe ridge tiles or breezeblocks set on edge. Note the angled deck and the drain holes to keep the surface dry, the divisions on the deck to keep the stones evenly spread, and the clear plastic fence which, unlike a netting one, can't be climbed by Coots, Moorhens, or possible mammal predators -- rats can swim a long way if they have a reason to.

A Wren was climbing the trunk of an oak tree near the leaf yard with remarkable speed, almost as fast as a Treecreeper. It paused for a moment to allow a quick picture.

The male Tawny Owl was not out in the middle of the day, and I had to come back at 3.45, when the light was failing on a dull grey afternoon. On the way I passed the plane trees where the Redwings forage, and found one pulling up a worm.

And there was the owl, though it is a sadly dark and indistinct picture.