Grey Days

Quite a change in the weather. Most of the snow around the village has now disappeared except for the occasional place where the Sun can't reach this time of year. At least the temperature has remained above zero but the sky has been covered in thick cloud. We are back to typical dreary Winter weather. I was hearing this morning how some parts of Australia have had night temperatures in the 30s C but I think I will keep what I have. I find those sorts of conditions harder to cope with than out low temperatures.

A few photographs from the past week. Along with the constant hordes of Blackbirds there has been the occasional visit from a Rook - sometimes digging in the snow



more often giving the fat balls a good bashing much to the enjoyment of the smaller birds which gather underneath to catch the spillage.



Surprisingly I have rarely seen the Goldfinches at the feeders. At one stage I was getting worried that they had succumed to the cold weather but every now and then a few appear to reassure me that they are still around.



The weeks of snow we suffered were early for this part of the country so I wonder whether we will get more in mid February, when it usually arrives around the time the schools have their half term break.

Bobby Gets a Sled and Birds eat Cake

Some while ago I mention to Glo, who writes the blog Porcelain Rose, that in these icy conditions I could do with a dog sled so Bobby could pull me to the shops. Yesterday Glo wrote a poem about the Birdy Bistro and made a great composite picture of Bobby pulling a sled down the lane here.



You can see and read the original HERE on Glo's blog. Thank you Glo. A lovely poem and a great picture.

When I had a grocery delivery just before Chritmas the company had substituted a couple of large sponge cakes for some items which were out of stock. I am not a great lover of sponge cake so after I had eaten as much as I wanted I chopped up the remainder and put it out for the birds. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes for the regulars to find it.







It was a relief to look at the outside temperature this morning and see +2C. The forecast is for sleet and rain so it should help to get rid of some of the snow. In fact it has been slowly melting all night but it will take a few days for it all to clear providing we don't get some more to take its place.

Those Fieldfare and their Apples

We seem to be getting a new layer of snow each night. It actually makes walking round the village easier for the early morning walk. It's only after many feet have compacted it that it gets a bit more difficult. In spite of the snow the birds continue to devour everything they can find.

The flock of Fieldfare has partly dispersed as they finish off the windfall apples but there were at least 20 in the old orchard yesterday. In fact first thing yesterday morning they were sat on the branches overhanging my garden. They just sat there in the gloom watching the ever growing number of Blackbirds rioting over what scattered seed they could find. I counted over 20 Blackbirds.

Later in the day I noticed the Fieldfare had returned to the old orchard across the lane so I took the camera across to see if I could get some photos of them. Fortunately there is a wall just high enough to hide most of me and some bushes to screen the camera. Where there used to be dozens of whole rosy apples on the ground it is now a scattering of apple peel and cores with just the odd nearly whole one to attract a few  Fieldfare for a while longer.







Occasionally there would be a short squabble over ownership .....





.... but it didn't take long to get back to the serious business of eating.



I would be very surprised if there are many of this flock left today as most will have moved on to pastures new by now.

Friday at the Flicks: Fieldfare, Feeding in the Snow

As the large flock of Fieldfare stayed around all yesterday devouring the windfall apples just across the lane from me I managed to take some video of them. Although the camera was outside it didn't pick up much of the constant chatter of so many birds in one place.



Apart from one day of clear roads and paths we have had snow around for about three weeks now. We haven't had the large falls seen by many but every time it starts to thaw we get another inch or so to top up the levels.

Noise levels in the garden can be very loud with Sparrows constantly chattering, Starlings squabbling and now Blackbirds constantly tutting and clucking at each other.



Snow or no snow, freeze or baking Sun the job of finding enough food has to go on for the visiting birds. Here a Blue Tit seems to have to work really hard to chip off pieces from a frozen fat ball. It is not speeded up - the poor bird was really working at this speed.



A Blackbird seemed to be leaping in the air to get more power to its beak as it struggled to pick up seed frozen in the grass.



Nothing stops Starlings in their quest for food, not even a heavy downfall of snow.



I am beginning to wonder how much longer my stock of seed will last and when it will be an easy drive to pick up some more as there seems to be less salt being used on the main street through the village. At least temperatures have been around zero or just above so the water I put out each morning doesn't freeze over very quickly.

An Orchard full of Fieldfare

Normally I concentrate observing through the kitchen window at the back of the building. Something made me look out of the front room window this morning and I was greeted by the sight of scores of small birds on the remaining apple trees in what used to be an orchard. I tried many photos through the window but recent snow had brought down so much dust and dirt the results were useless. In the end I crept outside and up to the front gate and managed to get some decent shots. Now I could identify what I was looking at - a flock of anything up to a hundred Fieldfare. What a fantastic sight. In this tree I counted just over three dozen.



There was another tree with just as many and scores more on the ground amongst the windfall apples. Every time someone walked or drove down the lane they would all take to the air only to return a short while later.



This was a rare sight for me and an opportunity not to be missed especially with a bird I had not seen before.




 What an incredible sight it was, especially when they took off like a cloud rising from the ground there were so many. Unfortunately a hedge was in the way for photographing those on the ground.

Blue Tit Investigates Nest Box

I was really thrilled this morning to spot that a Blue Tit made two visits to the nest box. The first time it took some of the old grass stems out of the box but I was too slow starting the recorder. I was ready after that and managed to record the second, brief, visit. It was so brief I slowed down the recording a bit.



 This is a photograph of the nest box taken last year.

A Bit of Snow

A few times today we had some brief periods of snow. Each time the activity at the feeders increased and tempers flared. Most of the squabbling was within the groups of Blackbirds and Starlings.



This Blackbird seemed to be trying to decide between shelter or food.



While this one braved the snow flakes landing on it.



These two male Chaffinches reminded me of Eric Morecamb's catch phrase...

What do you think of the Winter so far?  .........  Rubbish!


The last time I went to the local garden centre I treated myself to a small orchid plant which sits on the kitchen windowsill and cheers up dreary Winter days.

Dendrobium Winter Beauty