The Little Owls' hole in the lime tree near the Henry Moore sculpture seems to have been occupied by a Rose-Ringed Parakeet.

It seems odd that the owls didn't defend their territory, and it may just be that they were elsewhere when the parakeet got in, and will reclaim the hole when they return.

The female owl near the Albert Memorial was securely in possession of her hole, though this pair have had their own problems with Stock Doves, and indeed two of these were in the tree at the time.

This is one of the large colony of Wrens at the east end of the Serpentine. They may be seen in the Dell, on the bit of scrubby ground between the Dell and the lake, and in the reed bed and the floating reed rafts.

At this time of year Long-Tailed Tits are of no fixed abode, and you can find flocks of them moving around anywhere in the park.

Blue Tits often follow the flocks, but this one was in its usual place in the leaf yard.

So was this Coal Tit ...

... and one of the resident pair of Nuthatches.

Beside the Serpentine, Black-Headed Gulls were clustering round someone who was throwing food in the air.

This one paused to have a preen in a puddle in the horse track.

I couldn't get the ring number before it flew off. But this one beside the Long Water, shaking out its wings after preening, is our old friend EY09813 which returns to exactly the same place every year.

A Great Crested Grebe at the Lido was also preening ...

... and a Mute Swan was having a typically violent wash.

On a very mild Christmas Day, there were a lot of people in the park -- which was good news for the Rose-Ringed Parakeets, flocking to the corner of the leaf yard to be fed.

Further up the hill, away from the disturbance, the Nuthatches were coming down to take food from the railings.

Long-Tailed Tits were waiting in the trees beside the Vista before the whole flock arrived and they could cross the open gap in the relative safety of numbers.

A Robin was staying in the undergrowth.

There were two Grey Herons in one of the nests on the island ...

... and one in the other one.

They are certainly at least claiming nest sites now rather than just standing around. But in past years we have seen them fussing around for a long time before actually getting down to nesting.

An Egyptian Goose was drinking from the Diana fountain.

A young Mute Swan was preening at the Lido.

And a Mallard drake had a good flap in one of the Italian Garden ponds.

The female Little Owl in the chestnut tree came out of the hole.

The one in the oak tree was also having a look around.

A rabbit, always the same one, appears from time to time beside the Henry Moore sculpture. It looks as if the foxes and myxomatosis have accounted for most of the rest. But the population always bounces back in the new year.

The female Little Owl near the Albert Memorial made a brief appearance during a sunny spell.

A Jackdaw on the fence near the Diana fountain was also looking very fine in the sunlight.

A Jay put its crest up at me, as if to say Hurry up with that peanut.

Both the Nuthatches in the leaf yard came down to be fed.

A young Herring Gull dived into the Serpentine and picked up a remarkably large stone to play with.

The effortless flight of a Black-Headed Gull ...

... is only achieved with considerable maintenance.

The amount of white bristly feathers that Cormorants have on their head when in breeding plumage varies considerably from one individual to another.

There are only a few Cormorants left on the lake now, a sign that the supply of fair-sized fish is nearly exhausted.

A Great Crested Grebe was fishing near the island. They are content to live on smaller fish.

A Moorhen perched on a fountain in the Italian Garden. A gust of wind diverted one of the jets full on to it and knocked it off.

A very happy Christmas to all readers. It wouldn't be complete without a Robin ...

... and a Wren.

On a grey day there was nothing remarkable to see, just the familiar birds going about their business.

A Pied Wagtail was running around beside the Serpentine.

Some Long-Tailed Tits passed along the edge of the Long Water.

This is one of the pair of Coal Tits near the bridge. I haven't seen more than one for some weeks, and feared that one of them might have died, but today they both came down to be fed.

A Goldcrest was flitting around in the bushes behind them, but it was impossible to get a picture without at least one twig in the way.

A half-eaten apple had been stuck on the railings for the Rose-Ringed Parakeets, but a squirrel made off with it.

A Black-Headed Gull beside the Serpentine was trying to swallow a very large piece of bread.

Another was preening its wings.

A Grey Heron stared down from a nest on the island.

The two nests are almost permanently occupied, and it look as if the herons are claiming their nesting sites well in advance of the breeding season. But the three baskets put up for them on the west side of the Long Water have been completely ignored.

A Greylag Goose was washing.

A pair of Egyptian Geese had their feathers ruffled when they walked downwind.

Gadwall drakes are not at all showy, but a close-up view shows the beautiful patterns on their feathers.

Pochard drakes are also finely patterned.

The female Little Owl near the Albert Memorial came out to the front of the hole in the early afternoon.

A crowd of gulls was wheeling on the Serpentine, and there were two Carrion Crows in with them, not harassing the gulls but joining in for the sheer joy of flying.

The crowd included our old friend 28P1, the gull from Reading.

One of the Black-Headed Gulls is already growing the brown head of its summer breeding plumage, several months prematurely.

A Cormorant was flapping prosaically along the Serpentine. They are strong flyers, but for them flying is just a way of getting to the next fishing spot.

A female Tufted Duck was washing vigorously.

There was a pair of Egyptian Geese in the little stream in the Dell, the first time I have seen any there. It is a perfect place for a pair, safe from dogs and with plenty of old trees one of which must have a suitable hole for a nest.

A Rose-Ringed Parakeet climbed into a hole in a tree. They use holes as shelters in winter. Although they have adapted well to the English climate, December is still a challenge.

Little Owls also prefer warmer climates and spend a lot of time in their holes in winter. The female owl at the Albert Memorial had come out to the front to enjoy the sunshine.

The female owl in the lime tree near the Henry Moore sculpture remains very shy. She dashed into her hole when I was fifty yards away.

A lot of Starlings were chattering all round the shelter at the bottom of Buck Hill. They nest in the eaves, but outside the nesting season the shelter remains a place to congregate.

Every time I pass the shrubbery at the southwest corner of the bridge, various kinds of tits emerge to be fed. This Blue Tit ...

... and Coal Tit ...

... were getting impatient with the delay caused by photographing them, and were staring and jumping about and calling for service.

There were Goldfinches again in the tops of the plane trees on the south side of the Rose Garden.