3rd February - Come To Believe That I Better Not Leave

With the first real frosts, the Redwing appeared and started to strip the berries from the tree opposite the house.  There was the first snow earlier in the week, and that brought more to the tree, but a heavy fall on Thursday night and through Friday brought in the big guns, the Fieldfare.

Close up these thrushes are beautiful birds, with the grey and maroon colours and the checked arrow head markings down the sides.

They also sit with the bill point upwards which emphasises the markings on the throat

The Fieldfare is probably the shyest of the thrushes, run very close by the Ring Ouzel.  But whe the snow comes they seem to be able to override this behaviour, and are quite prepared to come into the garden

The berries being an major attraction of course

Here there was the chance to compare both of our regular winter thrushes, the Fieldfare being much larger and with the distinctive grey head and rump.

While the Fieldfare would come and go, and probably only two to three birds the Redwing were around in good numbers.  At one point I counted ten birds in the berry tree, and there were several more hiding in the surrounding bushes.  As one decided it had enough, it would fly off to be replaced by one from the bushes.

The Redwings to sit with the bill pointing slightly upwards

Previously there have only been single birds feeding on the branches, but with demand now high for the berries it was every man for their self.

The broad evergreen leaves catch what warmth there is in the sun

Another beautiful thrush, most of the Redwings we get here the UK move in from Scandinavia and Iceland, who knows when we visit Iceland in the spring we could be hearing the same birds singing!

The road up past the house is on a slope, and come the snow come the abandoned cars.  The owner of the is Mini, when they abandoned it Friday evening, clearly did not know where they were leaving it, the thrushes have probably ensured it will not be left there again.

As ever the other garden birds were about in good numbers, these Blue Tits waiting and deciding on when best to move into the feeders, probably looking to avoid the Starlings

The garden has become over run with Blackbirds and it has been difficult to know which one is our tame bird from inside the house.  This is him though, I know his as he would stay when I went into the garden while the others all flew off

The two male and one female Blackcaps are still about, both males aggressively defend their tree territories, chasing off the Goldfinches and Siskins when they get too close.

But it was back to the Fieldfare, this being the real opportunity to photograph them close up in the year.

The snow doesn't look like it will remain for long.  There are reports of the cold weather possibly returning later in the month, but by then the berries will be gone, hopefully they will be brave enough to come to the apples that no doubt we will put out.