Another dark drizzly day didn't deter the Buck Hill Mistle Thrush from singing. I love Mistle Thrushes, but it has to be admitted that their song is not a patch on the happy ebullience of a Song Thrush or the inventiveness of a Blackbird.

While the Mistle Thrush was busy, some Blackbirds...

... and Redwings took the opportunity to eat fruit in the rowan trees.

In fact the fierce Mistle Thrush has done the other thrushes a service, because it keeps Rose-Ringed Parakeets almost out of the rowans. If these destructive birds spent any time there they would strip the tree and throw most of the fruit on the ground.

The male Little Owl was in the nearby lime tree during the morning. The dead leaves of the disused squirrel drey kept him from being wetted by the rain.

There was a brief sunny interval in the afternoon, so I went back to try to get a better picture and found the female owl in the same place -- note her smaller eyebrows. Maybe they spend their time there side by side and occasionally one or the other looks out.

A Robin in the Rose Garden was jumpy because there was another Robin in the same bush. It sang a couple of phrases, thought better of confronting the other, and flew away.

A Dunnock looked out from behind a twig, but flew away before I could move round for a clear shot.

A Long-Tailed Tit perched on a bare twig.

A Carrion Crow poked around in rain-wetted dead leaves.

Moorhens found drier leaves under the shelter of the bushes at the edge of the Serpentine.

The male Peregrine of the usual pair was back on the crane in Knightsbridge.

The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull had not yet caught his lunch. He called irritably.

A small female was just light enough to balance on one of the plastic buoys at the Lido. Larger gulls tip up the buoy and fall off.

A troop of Black-Headed Gulls marched down the Vista.

Three Grey Heron nests on the island were occupied for the first time this winter. These two pictures are very dreary, but I'm putting them up as a record.

Branches at the west end of the island have become a favourite perch for Cormorants, and there is almost always at least one there.

The rowan trees on Buck Hill were a hive of activity. Redwings ...

... a Song Thrush ...

... and Blackbirds were eating the fruit ...

... and the resident Mistle Thrush even sang a few phrases.

There were the inevitable Jays expecting to be fed ...

... as well as a hungry Great Tit.

Some Long-Tailed Tits passed through the treetops but I didn't get a good picture, so here is one in the Rose Garden.

A Robin perched on a stem in the Flower Walk.

The male Little Owl called on Buck Hill in the afternoon but I didn't get near enough in time to find him. This is the female.

Three Wood Pigeons ate elderberries in the tree next to the bridge parapet. These heavy birds clinging to thin twigs use their wings to brace themselves.

A Carrion Crow dunked a peanut in a puddle.

A Black-Headed Gull in full breeding plumage stepped out daintily.

The Great Crested Grebe pair near the bridge could be seen from above through the willow twigs. They are defending this area for nesting but haven't actually made a nest yet, and may not until their usual breeding time in the summer.

The dominant Mute Swan at the east end of the Serpentine was being his usual violent self.

A pair of Shovellers revolved at high speed next to a boat. Just looking at them makes you feel dizzy.

A Gadwall drake was in a hurry to rejoin his companions.

Some Buff-Tailed Bumblebees survive the winter if there are flowers for them. Thanks to Abigail for this video from her garden.

In spite of the dank weather, the Song Thrush near the leaf yard was singing cheerfully from his usual spot in an old sweet chestnut tree.

The Rose Garden is still full of Blackbirds.

Redwings fed in the rowans on Buck Hill ...

... and the resident Mistle Thrush was in one of the smaller trees.

However, I couldn't find the Little Owl. She had been seen earlier but I missed her at two visits to the tree. The second time I was pursued by a couple of hungry Jays, which probably caused her to retreat into the cover of the leaves.

A Blue Tit at the bridge unexpectedly came to my hand for the first time, a sign of how hungry the small birds are getting.

A Chaffinch looked down from a twig.

It wouldn't be a proper Christmas without a picture of a Robin. This one was in a bramble patch beside the Long Water.

Tom sent a fine picture of a Wren in the reeds at Rainham Marshes.

A female Peregrine had brought up a Feral Pigeon to the top of the Royal Lancaster Hotel at the north edge of Kensington Gardens. She flew round the tower a couple of times to make sure she wouldn't be disturbed, landed and walked along to enjoy her Christmas lunch.

She is not the Peregrine from the Knightsbridge Barracks, but a much younger bird. There has been conflict between the two pairs.

The pigeon-eating Lesser Black-Backed Gull was also looking for a meal, but hadn't caught anything yet when I passed.

The Grey Heron in the Dell was fishing at the bottom of the waterfall.

A Cormorant joined another two on the swans' nesting island in the Long Water.

As darkness was falling a Great Spotted Woodpecker tapped on a tree near Queen's Gate.

It was the turn of the female Little Owl to shelter in the old squirrel drey on Buck Hill.

The rowan trees were full of Redwings again.

A lot of migrant Blackbirds have arrived, and there were at least six in the Rose Garden. Here are three of them looking for worms.

No Fieldfares here so far, but Tom was at Rainham Marshes and shot a video of several in a bush.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker beside the Long Water probed a rotten branch for insects until a piece fell off and knocked it out of the tree. It was unhurt.

A Jay waiting for a peanut put its crest up.

A Carrion Crow bathing at the Vista shook itself dry.

Andy Williams the Kensington Gardens manager sent me this photograph of an unusual visitor to the Flower Walk, a Pheasant. The picture was taken by one of the gardeners, but I don't know who.

Some years ago there was a long staying Pheasant beside the Long Water.

Also in the Flower Walk, the confident Coal Tit on the corkscrew hazel bush ...

... and a Robin on a branch below.

A flock of Long-Tailed Tits went along the edge of the Long Water.

A pair of Pied Wagtails are now often seen by the small boathouses. This is the female.

A Herring Gull found a stick in the lake and pecked algae off it. The stick seemed to be a toy as well as a snack.

The Grey Heron in the Dell is pleased that the waterfall is working properly again and it can stand in its favourite place enjoying the flow of water over its feet.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes were looking at a nest site against a wire basket on the island, and had already poked some rubbish through the mesh hoping some of it would stick.

This young grebe at the outflow of the Serpentine looks like one of the teenagers from the Long Water. The other one prefers to stay with its parents.

A splendid picture by Tom of a large flock of Dunlins rising over the river wall at Rainham. I think the birds on the left are Lapwings.

I wish a very happy Christmas and a much improved New Year to all readers.