21 December 2009

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.

18 December 2009

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.

15 December 2009

Bullfinch again

He came back for more cotoneaster berries this afternoon.

11 December 2009

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.

09 December 2009

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.

07 December 2009

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.

04 December 2009

Fieldfares

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

01 December 2009

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.