12th February - I've Got Nothing To Say, But It's Ok

The last few days have been dry with some very welcome sunshine, the temperature though has dropped and as a result the garden saw an increase in visitors to the feeders.  The colder air though doesn't seem to have deterred the Starlings from laying claim to territory, and this bird seems to be having a chat with one of the local Woodpigeon, maybe good morning, good morning.

The mild weather though has had an influence on the local birds, Blackbirds are now singing and I have seen male and female birds tolerating each other in the garden which is a good sign that they may have turned their thoughts to love as we head towards St Valentine's Day.

The male House Sparrows, too. are busy chirping away from the gutters.  The partially leucistic bird seems to have taken up residence on one of the corners of a neighbour's house, I watched it singing at first.

Then it turned and went inside under the tiles, a sure sign that it is thinking about nesting.

Clearly its different plumage colouring is not handicapping it at all.

In the garden the feeders were busy with Goldfinches, but it was also pleasing to see that there were also several Greenfinches turning up, the male birds looking very impressive with their green and yellow plumage.

Slightly larger than the Goldfinches they are prepared to fight off the smaller birds, and other Greenfinches.  Opening beaks and flapping wings as they square up to each, it shows the contrast between the green and the yellow wing bars and outer tail feathers.

The sunshine during the morning did not last that long and soon the dark clouds rolled in and the first rain showers hit the windows at the back of the house.  With the rain the birds seemed to all leave the garden, a Robin hung about picking up the fallen seed, and a large Woodpigeon finished off the seed on the table.

The forecast fro the coming week is for colder weather, and over the weekend the possibility of snow, I doubt it will come to much though.  It always seems to be the way hat the weather turns colder once we start to approach spring, the cold air blocking the advance of the early migrants.