Chiltern Birder

Finally this winter I saw a great spotted woodpecker on the fat feeder at the front of the house, and a handsome chap he was. I was enjoying the sight so much that I forgot to walk the few feet to where I had left the camera bag. I am part way through demolishing my old lean to and the work bench is currently standing on the lawn which means that there is a nice snow free foraging area attracting more dunnocks than I usually see at one time. With the deep snow I have swept the top surface and stood a ground feeder on it as an impromtu bird table. Last seen the contents were being demolished by a squirrel who ingored every attempt to chase him away. Apart from that I am getting blue tits, chaffinches, robins, blackbirds and wood pigeons. The goldfinches haven't returned and the long tailed tits seem to have moved on.

I have had to be away from home quite a lot on the past few weeks which means that I have not been feeding as often as I would like through the two bouts of heavy snow. There have been a couple of firsts in the garden though. At the back the ground tray has been standing in a gap shovelled out of the snow. One one occasion a wood pigeon was feeding from it totally ignoring a stock dove which was pecking at its head. On another occasion I came home to see a jay fly away from the feeder in the front garden. Jays are common enough in the woods around here but that was the first that I have ever seen come in to the garden. I have never positively identified a stock dove in the area before, flocks feeding in fields are normally passed in the car and I never get a clear view.