Birds, birds everywhere

No birding of late, and horrendous weather - snow, ice, wind and rain. But there have certainly still been plenty of birds around.

The garden has seen an infrequent Fieldfare over the last week, a very rare event indeed. Among the flocks of other birds driven in to gardens by the cold weather has been a male Blackcap, and we have also enjoyed a pair of Song Thrushes, hopefully getting ready to breed nearby.

At work I have seen a Treecreeper down by the River Alne (along with Redwing, Long-tailed Tits and Chaffinches aplenty), Bullfinches in the trees outside my office, and yesterday a Goldcrest in the clematis hanging to the side of our building.

Meanwhile, a drive through any country lane in Warwickshire at the moment is likely to take you past Lapwing wheeling low overhead and Buzzards sitting by the roadside waiting for the big chill to end.

Bird of the week: Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris), the largest thrush, a superbly coloured bird found more often in the open fields and trees around my house than in the garden itself. A welcome splash of colour in a drab grey February.