Robins

I've been watching a pair of robins chase each other around the garden today stopping every now and then for a short display of tail flicking. I wonder where they're planning to build, somewhere close I hope. The dunnocks are also have a rare old time with lots of wing waving.

Woodpecker

was drumming down the incline over the weekend.
Sowed the sweet peas yesterday approx 210.
But now it's snowing again!

And again

here is comes. The white stuff. Ground frozen solid and sheet ice underfoot so the new flakes (and large quantities of hail) are just sticking to everything.

Candlemas

That's today and the old rhyme says that if the weather is fair and bright winter will have another flight, if it's dull and drear winter has gone for another year. But what does it mean if it snows all day? I suppose only time will tell.

Big Garden Birdwatch

On Saturday we did our RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, one hour between 10 and 11am. It was crisp clear and bright, several inches of snow had fallen overnight and there was the odd flurry during the hour. The snow made counting even harder than usual as we kept getting snow blindness from staring at the brightness for too long!
Anyway these are the results:
Chaffinch - 23; Goldfinch - 12; Greenfinch - 14; Brambling - 9; Siskin - 3; House Sparrow - 6; Tree Sparrow - 11; Dunnock - 2; Blackbird - 3; Mistle Thrush - 1; Song Thrush - 1; Redwing - 2; Starling - 3; Blue Tit - 2; Coal Tit - 1; Great Tit - 1; Robin - 2.
The nuthatch didn't turn up and the long tails waited until we'd finished arriving about 20 minutes after we'd finished counting but 17 different species is pretty good going.