19th December - In The Land of Grey And Pink

Over the last few days the weather has moved from overcast and wet to clear blue skies and frosts, it has though remained dry.  This morning I was expecting thick freezing fog but awoke to a frost and clear skies, that as dawn approached changed colours at an amazing pace, going from dull pinks and grey to a rosy pink glow, lighting the wispy clouds that were high in the sky.  In places these clouds, as the low sunlight came over the horizon and threw shadows across them, looked like larch ostrich plumes covering the sky.

With the first rays of sunshine the Starlings start to gather, coming from their overnight roosting spots to the distant trees.

From there they disperse to the roof tops, and TV aerials, a high vantage point to catch the early warmth from the sunshine as the ground below is covered in frost.

The garden is still the best place to watch the local birds, it is also the warmest.  Despite the rising sun, the garden remains quite gloomy, and I can just make out a tiny Goldcrest moving through the branches.  It never ceases to amaze me that the tiniest of birds can survive the cold conditions overnight, its priority now is to find fuel in the form of food, and it was quite happy to use the feeders before the bigger birds arrived.

This year we have had several Chaffinches around thee garden, in previous years we have been hard pushed to get two.  This year though there have been at least four males, with this particular male standing out due to its very white outer tail feathers.  It was feeding on the fallen seed from the feeders.

As the sun made its way slowly into the sky, there was a hint of sky blue about, Redwing could be seen flying across the garden settling in the trees along Lymington Bottom.

The berry tree across the road was being guarded by a single male Blackbird, not our tame bird though.

 Despite the presence of the Blackbird, the Redwings arrived to have breakfast.

The Blackbird did attempt to chase them off, but there were too many, and in the end it just decided to tolerate them from a distance.

Normally these berries would be around into the new year, sometimes even as long as February, it looks like all the berries will be gone as the New Year arrives this winter.

The last to appear are the House Sparrows.  You can hear them chirping in the hedge, and the bushes across the road, but they wait until the sun is out before appearing.  This male was just sitting at the top of the tree.
 

They appear to like the small leaf buds that are just appearing, and they gently scramble to the thinnest part of the branch to pull the buds apart.

With the sun came some mist, but it never amounted to much.  A Woodpigeon silhouetted against the white background.

The goldfinches were bickering around the feeders, and even in the trees.  It would seem that there are favourable perches, probably in the sunshine.  This Goldfinch had just seen off the advance of another in an attempt to take its place.

They look so striking face on with the red face mask.

Balancing between branches like a Bearded Tit in the reeds.

 
With the Goldfinches come the Siskins, numbering as many as the Goldfinches at times.

The female Blackcap was about, but did not stay long.  Over the course of the weekend there was also a male Blackcap, but it did not appear today.

First thing in the morning the starlings concentrate on feeding, they prefer the fat balls and nibbles to the seeds, and are frequently fighting over possession of the feeders.  As the morning moves on and the sun becomes warmer they turn to sitting in the tree and singing.

This one is a male, the pale blue on the lower mandible serves to sex the bird.  In the sunshine they can show off the lovely glossy plumage that ranges from petrol greens and blues to a deep purple sheen, all topped of with some striking white spots, and light brown fringes to the wing feathers.

  
The white spots are part of the winter plumage, and these fade in the summer.  Another underrated and overlooked common bird, there is so much more to a Starling than murmurations.

 
 Mid afternoon, and with the light fading once again, the Goldcrest returns, and with it relatively quiet takes the opportunity to feed on the nibbles.  It actually managed to pull one out whole, but then dropped it, much to the delight of a Robin.

 Where the finches go at this time of day I don't know, maybe they roost early.  There is still activity though.  The Long-tailed Tits come through, and the Blue Tits are busy going from feeder to feeder.  This one though paused long enough for some stretches before bedtime.

Contrary to popular belief I am not staring out of the window all day, but on one of the occasions I did in the late afternoon I was not impressed with what I saw.  At first I was completely confused with what was on the feeder, then slowly the shape took focus, a Grey Squirrel, the first time I have seen one on the feeders.  I hope I don't see it again, but I have a nasty feeling the war has just begun.

As the sun began to set all that is left is the song of the Robin.  We have two singing birds, one across the road, and the other on the south side likes to use the top of the leylandi to proclaim its territory.

 
 As the sun dropped away on the horizon, the sky once again began to take on some spectacular colours.  At first a ochre yellow scattered across the gathering clouds.

The most dramatic colours came as the sun had slipped from view.

Yellows turning into deep oranges, and the sky away from the light taking on an indigo hue.

Close in the clouds looked like the fiery dramatic clouds seen on the planet Jupiter.

Away from the area where the sun actually set the skies were calmer, adopting the pinks, greys and blues of the morning sky.

Then one final burst of colour before darkness engulfed us once again.

The winter solstice is only a few days away, the amount of daylight at its shortest now.  Very soon the daylight will start to draw out once again, and the circle will recommence.