Snow and hoards of hungry birds

Yes, more, and more. A couple of feet so far and now it's freezing solid.
The bird feeding stations have been doing a roaring trade (must order more food...!). Yesterday there were four robins, carefully watching each other and taking turns; today there were three.
We've also seen a redwing in the holly tree on a couple of occasions. When the finches numbered over fifty we stopped counting but all three main groups have been here in great numbers along with lots of bramblings. One bird which is missing is the siskin, we have seen only one or two.

Snow

Snow, snow and then more snow.
It started yesterday as a light dusting with a covering by bedtime. This morning everything is smothered and it's still snowing. The bird feeders have been refilled, emptied and filled again. The garden is heaving with too many finches to count and all the usual visitors including brambling, nuthatch, long tails and the odd tree sparrow.

Bullfinch again

He came back for more cotoneaster berries this afternoon.

Frosty fog

Clear overnight so the frost was settling by the time I put the dogs out and it's very thick this morning - quite icy underfoot. However it's also thick, thick fog which makes it feel very raw.

Yet more lapwing

Had to pop into town on Monday (yes, I know tardy of me) and above Bannial there was a flock 150 - 200 lapwing all circling and wheeling. There seem to be more this year than last.

Weekend Update

The first bramblings of the season arrived on the feeders over the weekend, as part of a large finch flock. Just one on Saturday and then a handful more on Sunday. More lapwing to report, yesterday lunchtime around two dozen flew over the house, heading seaward this time.

Fieldfares

This morning a large flock of fieldfares were chattering in the trees at the top of the incline.

Rarity for us

A bullfinch has just landed in the cotoneaster in the back hedge. He's one of this year's fledglings, not quite fully coloured up yet. We don't get many bullfinches in the garden, probably only half a dozen a year so for us this is an exciting sighting. The cold has obviously brought him in.

Icy

Cold today and very icy. After several days (feels like weeks) of rain every where is saturated, although not flooded like Cumbria. A sharp drop in temperature overnight has frozen everything solid including roads and footpaths.

Winter declared!

That's it, it's officially winter here. Stove is lit and today we have wrapped the gunnera for the winter.

Long tails

A flight of long tail tits have just been through the garden. In the last hour it has turned noticeably colder, although it has been ridiculously warm over the last few days, 10 degrees over night in mid-November!

Willow Tit & Sparrowhawk

First the big one (bird that is); yesterday afternoon a lovely female sparrowhawk sauntered across the field and landed on one of the fence posts. She sat there for a minute or two before launching off to glide over the gardens and disappear.
Shortly before a small Willow (or could have been a marsh) Tit was hopping around the new shrubbery. Another, or it could be the same, was on the sunflower feeder this morning.

Swans

This morning saw three swans in flight over the centre of the village.

More Lapwing

More lapwing seen this morning; 60-70 strong flock today, again heading towards the Fylingdales area but this time seen over the Mill Green.

Lapwing

This morning 20-30 lapwing were flying over the Post Office, from Greenend direction and heading inland.
Also seen two kestrels hunting very close to each other, quartering the Mill Scar below the reservoir.

Tree Sparrows

Are right outside the window taking sunflower hearts from the feeder.
Also present, starlings, greenfinch, goldfinch, house sparrow - no more space!

First marsh tit

or maybe it's a willow - can never tell t'other from which! Anyway, first of the season has just been visiting the feeding station. It went away empty beaked because the bad tempered gold finches wouldn't let it anywhere near.

Snipe

Just coming back in from town and seen a flight of around a dozen snipe on the moor.

Sunshine

After dull, grey, foggy days a day of glorious sunshine. Garden feeders are still smothered in finches.

Snow Buntings

The first buntings were reported this week. I saw three on my way out to Pickering on Saturday and then KW phoned with a report of two at Greenend.
From The Orchards JT reports several spotted woodpeckers in the gardens and then later five tree creepers!