Several Pied Wagtails were running around on the Parade Ground next to the funfair, which is being demolished at last. They completely ignored the banging and crashing and passing trucks, which will go on for weeks and then be succeeded by an immense returfing operation which costs half a million pounds every time.

A few yards away, three Carrion Crows were enjoying a silly game, rolling around on the ground and yelling. After a few minutes they picked themselves up and flew away amicably together.

There was a Wren on a bush in the Rose Garden ...

... and a Robin perched on a rose called Vanity.

A Coal Tit in the leaf yard was on a wild rose, a much thornier affair -- and, to my eye, much prettier when in flower than the giant overbred flowers loved by rose fanciers.

A Nuthatch was also there, waiting for the usual snack to be offered.

The male Little Owl in the lime tree near the Henry Moore sculpture was out in the morning, but a sharp rain squall drove him into his hole as I approached, so I came back later to take this shot.

It's very difficult to get him without twigs in front unless he is in exactly his usual spot -- I've put a marker on the ground for an unobstructed view of this place. Otherwise you have to take your chances, as one glance from a pair of binoculars will send him scuttling into his hole. The camera lens is less disturbing because it doesn't look like a pair of eyes, and the glitter is masked by the lens hood.

The female owl near the Albert Memorial was yawning repeatedly. Many birds yawn, but I have no idea whether it's a sign of boredom or sleepiness, or something quite different.

This Black-Headed Gull beside the Serpentine is, as you can see, less than a year old. It has the British ring number EZ73301.

The old system of two letters beginning with E and five numbers is now full, and future rings will have to use a new one. I very much hope that they don't add an extra character. It's hard enough reading seven on a gull ring, as you have to walk three-quarters of the way round the bird without frightening it away, or often the whole way round because the first side of the ring you see is the one with the join.

A Shoveller looked at me suspiciously from the outflow of the Serpentine.

The Pochards on the lake are much less shy, and you can walk right up to them without alarming them.

Some Greylag Geese were drinking from a muddy puddle a few yards from the relatively clean water of the lake. Do they go here to drink because they won't be bothered by aggressive Canada Geese and Mute Swans? Or do they find that mud gives water a bit of  flavour?

It was a very cold day and the Long Water had patches of ice on it.

But there was plenty of clear water, and a Kingfisher was going around the lake from bush to bush. This picture was taken from about 50 yards away, as close as it came.

A fox could be seen across the lake, slightly north of the Vista. It had been in the same place yesterday, which was when I took this picture.

A flock of Pochards had arrived on the near side of the Vista.

Two Grey Herons were fighting for the right to perch on top of the Henry Moore sculpture.

The white-faced Blackbird was foraging in her usual place near the Italian Garden. She graciously accepted a bit of digestive biscuit.

The female Little Owl was preening in the oak tree near the Albert Memorial.

One of the 'Polish' swans was also preening, at the Lido. This picture clearly shows the pinkish-grey feet and pink bill.

A young Herring Gull was dropping a stone into the Serpentine and diving after it.

The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull had found a dead pigeon near the bridge, and was inspecting it carefully to see it it was up to the usual standard of pigeons he had killed himself.

A Greylag Goose had won a piece of flatbread at the Dell restaurant and trotted off to find somewhere private to eat it without being bothered by gulls.

At the leaf yard, a Blue Tit ...

... and a Coal Tit were looking their best in the hazy sunlight.

Both the Little Owls in the oak tree near the Albert Memorial appeared at different times. The female looked down from the hole in the morning ...

... and the male came out on a branch in the afternoon.

The male owl in the tree near the Henry Moore was out too, but two people were photographing him and making him nervous, and this was the closest I could get before he went into his hole.

There were two flocks of Long-Tailed Tits at the edge of the lake. This one was near the Italian Garden.

One of the Nuthatches in the leaf yard posed obligingly in the sunshine on a log ...

... and a Coal Tit stood as tall as it could, which isn't very.

A pair of Rose-Ringed Parakeets preened each other affectionately in a hole in one of the little plane trees near the boathouses, which they must be using as a winter shelter.

The usual inhabitants of these holes are Starlings, and there may be a battle in the spring when these feel like nesting. One was bathing furiously in the water underneath.

The Moorhen family in the Italian Garden are now all completely adult in appearance. They were amusing themselves by climbing around on a patch of reeds and irises.

The dominant Mute Swan at the east end of the Serpentine was having fun in his own way, by bullying the subordinate swans.

A Gadwall was looking quietly elegant in the low sunlight ...

... which was also bringing out the full iridescence of the head of one of the dark Mallards ...

... and the shining red eye of a Great Crested Grebe.

A Mistle Thrush was singing its pleasant but boring song in a tree overlooking the Rose Garden.

On the ground below, a Robin came out of a rose bed to be fed.

A Blackbird in the Dell perched next to some pink leaf buds, a sign that it's not too long till winter loses its grip.

A Magpie in the Flower Walk was pecking at some crusty object, I think the desiccated corpse of a small rat.

One of the Nuthatches in the leaf yard was singing too. The other was looking around before coming down to take food from the fence.

A pair of Egyptian Geese were making a terrible racket honking and panting in a nearby tree. They do this treetop display all winter, not necessarily when looking for a nest site.

There was a very small Greylag Goose at the Dell restaurant, no larger than an Egyptian. It was holding its own with the larger geese and getting plenty of food from visitors.

Two female Shovellers were feeding together, swinging their heads from side to side while they shovelled with an oddly mechanical action, like an automatic sweeping device.

A Mallard drake launched himself down the little waterfall in the Dell.

The white Mallard was resting on the island with his mate and the extra drake who has attached himself to the pair. The three now seem to be inseparable.

A young Mute Swan was chasing another along the Serpentine. Since they are both very junior, this would have been just a bit of horseplay, not a territorial dispute.

Two Great Crested Grebes were also chasing each other, and this really was territorial. The loser flew for about 50 yards before coming down at a safe distance.

The female Little Owl near the Albert Memorial was in her usual place in the oak tree.

One of the owls near the Henry Moore sculpture came out of the hole, but only for a few seconds and I saw it from across the lake, so didn't get a picture.