Festive birds.

The big freeze ended today! I woke up this morning to find the lawns clear of snow for the first time in weeks! A stroll around Stanney Woods fist thing this morning was productive with a Woodcock being flushed and at least one Mealy Redpoll being nailed down amongst a large flock of Lessers. The Great Spotted Woodpeckers have started drumming and I'm pretty sure I heard the Lesser Spot as well.
A quick search of the gulls on the fields adjacent to Gowey Tip revealed a juv Iceland Gull but the majority of the birds were to far away to identify anything else with any confidence.

Walking Molly along the lane adjacent to the stubble fields this afternoon proved birds are moving after the thaw with parties of Lapwings and Skylarks constantly overhead. The stubble fields themselves held good numbers of chaffinches and a single male Yellowhammer

The cold spell has meant some unusual sightings in the garden over Christmas with a Snipe under the hedge in the back garden Christmas and a Tree Sparrow on the feeders. The first in the garden as opposed to flying over. Several other Snipe have been seen flying over the garden in the last week and a Grey Wagtail made a brief visit before being chased off the lawn by one of the three Moorhens now present.

 Nice to see this Coal Tit photogrpahed first a couple of weeks ago has survived the cold snap!