Chiltern Birder

For the first time in several years I spotted a goldfinch in the garden. It perched on one of the fat feeders, looked at the seed feeder full of sunflower hearts and then flew away. I don't think finches are really happy with hanging feeders. Apart from that I have been seeing blackbirds, blue tits and robins on the feeders. The starlings and long tailed tits seem to have moved on.

After the last snow melted it was very spring like. The birdsong was loud and the pasture near my house was full of fresh mole hills. While walking I was lucky to both see and hear a skylark. Walking yesteday with fresh snow everything was quiet again, I was quite struck by the silence at some points. Bluebell leaves were pushing through the snow and I came across some snowdrops in Bunns Lane, well away from any housing. One sign of spring has been the kites which have suddenly become far more vocal. In the garden the long tailed tits and starlings seemed to have vanished for a while but both have reappeared in the last couple of days. Certainly consumption has been far less than I would have expected.