Cold!

For the last few days the birds have been flocking to the garden feeders.  Do they know that a cold spell is on its way?  From the comfy chairs, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Great Tit and Blue Tit have all been seen.  Nuthatches and Blackbirds have visited too.  We have watched the Great Spotted Woodpeckers feeding from the peanuts then flying into the trees and possibly storing them for later use.

The kitchen window is another ideal place to watch the birds.  Colin has been busy filling containers with a mix of seed, chopped peanuts and fat, which Great Tits and Coal Tits are thoroughly enjoying.  A Marsh Tit can often be seen in amongst the other birds but today there were two.

Blackbirds and Redwings still have plenty of Hawthorn berries to feed on.  Sparrowhawks and Kestrels were also busy. 

Up on the wetland the ponies have settled well and are doing a good job reducing the vegetation.

Foxglove has put on her winter coat and the colours are brown and black, but sometimes the light catches the reeds and almost makes them look silver.

The low winter sun caught the clouds and highlighted them with streaks of pink.

Stacey emailed me from Signy, which I still find difficult to get my head around!   Down there and up here, there does not seem to be much difference in the weather.  Her first Adelie chicks have hatched

and a Weddlle seal turned up.