I've not had too much time with the garden birds, since it's dark when I leave for work, and dark when I get home. Weekends have also been busy, with our relatives moving in and out of the county there's been lots of packing and unpacking going on.

Over the past few weeks I have recorded many of the typical visitors, but a single Great Tit sighting has been the only notable species to visit. The well stocked feeders have been attracting larger and larger finch flocks though, and today I recorded a record flock of 15 or so Goldfinch and 4 Greenfinch, all in the garden together. They're favouring the new feeder, and the cherry tree it hangs in, but also visit the other feeder and several even fed from the patio today - not something I've seen before! The only downside is that they make a lot of mess, and throw a lot of seemingly good seed onto the ground, much to the delight of the Dunnock and Robin. A group of four Collared Dove was also nice to see in the garden.

Arriving home from work, I picked out the garden's first Chaffinch amongst a flock of Starling on our roof. It was a male, and although I occasionally see them in the surround area, they've never ventured too near. I headed out to see the reported Stonechat on the Pit Tip Top, and on my return, a pair of Goldfinch were on the feeder - hopefully a regular sight over the coming months.

A week into the my new job and I'm missing the freedom to get out around the park. The weather conditions were good today and I've heard lots of stories about what's been turning up down the east coast. I decided to console myself with a bit of garden birding, which ended on a high note.

First off were a group of six Barn Swallow over to the south, two Long-tailed Tit were calling and a single Goldfinch was seen in a tree at the front. The back garden had already been quite active with one or two Robin, three Blue Tit, a Greenfinch and the usual hoards of Starling and House Sparrow. Woodpigeon and Collared Dove are still visiting the feeder on a daily basis. A Pied Wagtail was calling from the ridge tiles of a nearby house, and the first Dunnock of recent weeks was calling from the neighbour's conifers. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flying over and into the trees in Warren Primary was a flyover first. Recent sightings of Jays flying over, have been both frequent and consistent, and this morning was no exception, with at least two Jay over along with a group of seven Magpie, which was a notable garden count. Two Jackdaw in the school field were also an unusual sight.

Whilst watching some of the crows, I saw a large bird that drifted over from the direction of the Pit Tip Top. My immediate thoughts were of a large gull rather than a raptor, but getting the bins onto it, I realized it was an Osprey! I thought the time of year was okay for Osprey migration, so I quickly took some notes of the distinguishing features as it circled, before letting Holly have a quick look. I got back onto it in time to see it drift off to the west. Two months earlier and it would have been a lifer, but then again, it wouldn't have been passing over at that time of year!

The day finished off just as the sun was setting, with a group of ten House Martin calling as they passed over high to the south east.

A day of mixed weather brought a single Woodpigeon onto the feeder tray, and later a pair of Collared Dove. Starling, House Sparrow, and Greenfinch visited throughout the day. A small flock of nine Goldfinch were moving through the nearby trees, and were flushed by a Sparrowhawk hunting over gardens at the back. Earlier in the day a Pied Wagtail was seen flying low along the length of the road, and a male Chaffinch - an uncommon visitor to the nearby gardens - was in the trees of the primary school.

Two Collared Dove rediscovered the feeder - or rather, the feeder tray - today, after a lengthily absence in recent months.

Two Goldfinch were on the feeder today, and a few have been creeping into the nearby gardens, so it should just be a matter of time before they're frequenting again.

Only the Grey Squirrel on the feeder today - I'll have to stop putting peanuts on the tray! A single Lesser Black-backed Gull was over to the SE mid-morning.

This morning saw the return of Blue Tits to our garden, after a summer of none. A group of three Blue Tit spent several minutes around the garden and visiting the feeders at around 7:30am. Also present was a single Robin and a male Greenfinch, with good numbers of Starling and House Sparrow. A single Goldfinch stopped in briefly, but didn't go near the Starling-clad feeder.

A Robin was on the feeder briefly this morning, and good numbers of Starling and House Sparrow were enjoying a recently cleaned and restocked feeder. A Grey Squirrel was also keen to get at the peanuts, and scared all the birds away.

The recent record House Sparrow count was broken one morning earlier this week, when I woke up to circa twenty of them all over the back garden: Feeder, lawn, patio, fences, and even garden furniture - they weren't fussy! I've also given the feeder a good clean tonight, in preparation for the coming weeks, which promise to be busy.

A group of ten House Sparrow were in the trees and on the feeder together this morning - the highest garden count to date.

Today was slightly more interesting than other days in recent weeks, with a Coal Tit visiting the feeder along with the usual group of House Sparrow. A juvenile tick came in the form of a Pied Wagtail in our neighbour's driveway.

A Tawny Owl was heard calling from the woods at 11:15pm.

Lots more rain today, but a break at lunchtime gave me a brief opportunity for photos - juvenile Starling being the target. There seemed to be a lot around, so I did a quick count and got eleven juveniles with about five adults. The Pied Wagtail was seen several times on the school roof, but only briefly - the recent building work (and possibility of breeding elsewhere) meant this was the first sighting in a while. I also got a brief view of a Barn Swallow flying over.

Patches of heavy rain with intermittent sunny spells produced a quieter day in the garden. Two juvenile Dunnock were on the lawn first thing, confirming my suspicions from yesterday. A Coal Tit was again on the feeder and a Greenfinch was feeding from the lawn, whilst the feeder was occupied by a Woodpigeon.

More notable was a Kestrel hovering over the playing field behind Warren Primary - an odd location for any prey. A pair of Goldfinch were heard and seen in the trees at the front, the male in full song. One of the dry spells in the late afternoon produced a large group of 30+ Common Swift over the houses and wood. A group of twelve House Martin were over the back at 9pm in the clear evening sky.

Lots of activity in the garden throughout the day, even before I put out some new fat balls. The House Sparrow are now the most regular visitors, and I think a pair are feeding young in a nearby roof because the female is visiting the feeder every few minutes and returning to the same roof afterwards. She's also become quite brave and visits when we're in the garden.

The Coal Tit young are also regular, but seemingly only in the mornings. Today I saw two at one time, although they were careful not to be on the feeder at the same time, one always waiting in a nearby tree for the other to fly off. Today's regular visits gave me some opportunity for a few digi-bin photos, with mixed success.

This morning also saw the return of the Dunnock, with one visiting the lawn below the feeders and nearby borders throughout the day, and what was a probable juvenile in the morning. Three Wood Pigeon put the feeder stand to the test this afternoon by deciding it would hold their combined weight. To my surprise, it did!

The pair of Starling that nested under the eves of a nearby house have been raising their second brood of the year. All seemed to be going well, but the nest's location has been discovered by a local Magpie, and I've just seen it reach in and pull out a live unfledged chick, then carry it off to a nearby roof to eat it alive. Hopefully this chick was being too adventurous, and the Magpie won't be able to reach the others.

House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Collared Dove and Woodpigeon continue to visit the feeder regularly in its new location with odd visits from Coal Tit, however Blue Tit and Dunnock have become a rarity.

A surprise visitor to the garden this morning was a single (and scruffy looking) Long-tailed Tit on the patio and then in the tree! It was possibly a juvenile that hadn't learnt the danger of cats. Also noted in the evening were a singing male Greenfinch at the top of the neighbours conifers, along with a singing Dunnock. A Woodpigeon was on the feeder tray, as is becoming common since I found it a new home.

With the thesis being overdue, I've not done much birding lately, but today I heard a Pheasant calling right outside the window while I was working. Looking out I saw a male Common Pheasant walking about in our driveway and looking a bit lost. The neighbour's cats were frothing at the mouth, but didn't have the guts to take it on, so after getting a bit of footage for the record, I went out to steer it back towards the woods.

Three Common Swift battled with the winds heading north-west towards the Pit Top this morning. The first I've seen this year.

It was nice to see and hear a Goldfinch singing its heart out on top of next door's TV aerial this afternoon. Nothing else of note, due to being glued to the computer most of the day!

A great day for garden birding began with three Dunnock together on the feeder at around 8:30am. The pair that seem to be nesting in the neighbour's conifers have been seen regularly over the past weeks, but I'd not considered the possibility that others were visiting. An equally welcome sight was the single Coal Tit that joined them on the feeder and proceeded to visit regularly over the next twenty minutes, taking seed away into nearby cover and reappearing moments later. Throughout the time it visited, it began moving to cover further and further away, making its journey longer and longer.

Two Pied Wagtail were seen together on the ridge tiles of the school, and a pair of Greenfinch were on the seed feeder. A single (and scruffy looking) Long-tailed Tit was moving through the shrubs in neighbouring gardens and landed on a fence just long enough to focus the bins. Slightly later in the morning a single Stock Dove (garden tick) was seen flying over to the woods at the front.

In the evening two House Martin were flying back and forth over the back for quite some time, often close enough for good views. A male House Sparrow came to our conifer hedge for a few minutes, moving through looking for food. The Blue Tit drought had continued all day, but finally one landed on the TV ariel of the adjacent house, so all is well! Three large gulls flew over heading north-west towards the Pit Top, I could make out black wing tips, and were probably Herring Gull, but I couldn't be certain in the failing light.

Just as I was about to call it a day a Green Woodpecker flew over the houses at the back from the east into the large oak tree within the school grounds. It moved upwards through the tree with small flights and finally flew off towards the Pit Top. As I was closing the door a single Barn Swallow flew low over the houses and gardens towards ours before disappearing to the north through the gap between our house and the neighbour'. Altogether a great day of garden birding with a record 18 species recorded.

A single Lesser Black-backed Gull was over the woods and Pit Top to the north in the late morning. Interestingly, no Blue Tit were seen today.

Three Blue Tit were seen chasing each other through the garden today, landing on the fence posts and conifers. A single Barn Swallow was over to the north and a distant Sparrowhawk was seen near the mobile mast and woods at the back at sunset.

A male Kestrel was over the woods and gardens to the west at 9:30am, and another sighting at the back in the afternoon. The first record of Carrion Crow landing in the garden with a single bird landing in the cherry tree and then onto the lawn to take peanuts fallen from the feeder. Two House Martin were over in the morning.

More House Martin over today with groups of four or more in the evening. Greenfinch, Robin, Dunnock and Collared Dove all noted on the feeder.

A male Kestrel with a forked V-shape tail (missing tail feathers) was seen flying in front of the woods to the west around 1:30pm - the first for a while now. Later in the afternoon a Sparrowhawk was seen hunting over the woods and gardens at the front, soaring very high. Throughout the day small groups of 4-6 hirundines/swifts moved north-west very high up. The last group of the day was a group of five at 7:30pm, which were IDed as House Martin.

A Dunnock frequented the front conifer hedge throughout the day; it was calling, singing, and providing a good opportunity for some close footage.

Dunnock

The only unusual thing seen today was a Coal Tit on the lawn feeding on a lump of dried cat sick/poo - not very pleasant, but it seemed to be enjoying the - dare I say it - meal!

Just after 8am a Green Woodpecker caught the morning sunlight flying over Warren Primary School in the direction of the Pit Top. At 8:50am a Grey Heron was over the woods heading east-south-east. A Skylark was heard singing over the Pit Top and (probably) seen high in the distance too. A pair of Barn Swallow were chasing each other over the edge of the woods at 9:05am.

Three distant ducks were seen flying high over Big Wood in the direction of the Mill Lakes (NW) at 10:10am, and a Barn Swallow was over to the east five minutes later.

A pair of Robin were in the garden at 7am, and one was seen throughout the day. Dunnock is now the most common visitor to the feeder and the pair were on it together at 5pm today.

A single Barn Swallow (garden tick) flew directly over the house to the north at around 11am. Three female House Sparrow were together in our tree in the morning, and three or more pairs were seen in the conifers of the adjacent garden in the evening. Another Green Woodpecker was seen flying over at the front, and 14 species were recorded.

The pair of Dunnock continue to visit the feeder very regularly throughout the day. Aside from the usual, another Green Woodpecker was seen flying over today, but this time at the back.

In the morning a Dunnock and Robin were seen on the seed feeder, and the former returned throughout the day. In the afternoon 6+ House Sparrow were recorded in the conifers of the adjacent gardens, another Grey Heron was seen flying north at the back heading for the woods at 3:55pm (almost the same as yesterday!), and a single Green Woodpecker was seen flying ESE along the edge of the woods at 5:15pm.

A Dunnock was on the seed feeder tray and also fed from the ports at 8:30am. A pair were seen around the gardens all day until dusk, and regularly visited the feeder, despite my little girl playing in the garden just a few feet away. In the afternoon two male Blackbird flew below me fighting over territory as I looked out of the bedroom window. A Grey Heron was seen flying over the woods from the east at 4pm and showing well in the sunlight.

Two Goldfinch were again seen collecting nest material.

A Sparrowhawk was over the woods at the front, and whilst watching it a probable Common Buzzard was seen in the distance. Two Goldfinch were seen collecting nest material from roofs and guttering of nearby houses.

Rain overnight and a damp morning brought a Robin to the feeder at 9:15am, with a Blackbird and Dunnock feeding on the seed from the ground. A single Great Tit was seen visiting a nearby garden at the back.

A great day for birds in the garden with seven species recorded in the garden within a couple of minutes at around 10am. Two pairs of Greenfinch and a House Sparrow in the tree and on the seed feeder whilst a pair of Blue Tit were on the log feeder. A few Starling flew into the tree along with two Goldfinch, then a male Blackbird hopped onto the patio. After a few of the tree visitors departed a single Dunnock also came to the patio. Two of the Greenfinch drank from the water butt lid before flying off, and the two Goldfinch had a look too.

Six Common Gull were over to the north east at 2:45pm, and the final garden visitor came in the early evening, when a pair of Collared Dove came to the patio to feed.

A great morning for garden birding. The rain overnight left a damp mist around this morning. As well as the typical birds, this produced a Grey Heron flying over low from the south and passing directly over the bedroom window - amazing views! - and as I rushed to see it on the north side a Coal Tit was seen in one of the nearby trees. Within twenty minutes a Coal Tit was seen going back and forth to our feeder, at one point it flew under the ledge of our kitchen window to eat the seed! Notable in the afternoon were two Pied Wagtail together on the ridge tiles of the school.

Just after dawn a single male House Sparrow visited the tree (amongst other visitors) and fed for a little while on the seed feeder . The two Blue Tit did their great grate-feeding act again, but today at around 10:30.

Two Blue Tit were feeding on the grate again this morning at 6:30 for at least 5 minutes, and were loud enough to wake me up.

At lunchtime, a Sparrowhawk flew over the gardens at the front and two Common Gull were over to the north west.

Two Blue Tit were on the log feeder first thing, whilst a Dunnock hopped around on the wall below. A pair of Goldfinch visited the tree, and one ventured onto the seed feeder.

The only thing to note was a single Greenfinch on the seed feeder, trying out each of the six ports.

A Carrion Crow was seen building a nest in one of the trees at the edge of the wood, but this will almost certainly be hidden in a few weeks when the leaves arrive. On the feeder today were Blue Tit, a single Goldfinch and a Robin.

Another Dunnock in the garden today. This time, in the front sat at the top of our conifer hedge calling for a few minutes. A large immature gull sp. was seen over to the north.

A single Dunnock was perched in our tree for around a minute in the early afternoon. It's the first record of a Dunnock actually in our garden.

Notable for today was the single Jackdaw seen flying ENE from the west just before lunchtime. It's the first I've ever seen anywhere near here.

A cold morning with frost on the ground brought a pair of Blue Tit and a single Coal Tit to the feeders. Later, two Blue Tit were seen feeding along the grill under the eves again. A single Greenfinch visited our tree briefly, but returned later to feed for a few minutes on the feeder. Then one was seen feeding in the late afternoon. Hopefully they'll start to visit more regularly again. A Sparrowhawk was over the woods flying in a slightly off manner, making jerky turns in flight - possibly some part of a display? A good day, with 18 different species recorded, including a Kestrel, three tits and three finches, but no gulls.

A reasonable day for the garden with 15 species recorded thanks to an early visit to our feeder from a Coal Tit. A Blue Tit made first use of the new log feeder, staying long enough for a photo (but I didn't get one!). Single sightings of the two typical gulls - Black-headed Gull and Common Gull - also helped the day list, and a pair of Goldfinch made a fleeting visit to the feeder before lunch.

Another relatively quiet day. Of note was a skein of 19 wildfowl flying west in a skewed V-shape at around 9:50am: most probably of Canada Goose, but too far away to tell. A single Common Gull was seen nearer lunchtime.

A much quieter day today, with nothing but the typical birds seen. The feeder still fails to attract much attention with only a pair of Collared Dove and a single Blue Tit seen feeding from it today. Checking the normal Goldfinch roost provided a surprise, as the tree was gone! It seems as if the owners have either removed it entirely, or cut it well back, since none of it is visible from our house now. At sunset there were plenty of Goldfinch flying around where it used to be, and the pink-blossomed cherry tree in the school seems to have been adopted as a replacement. Two Long-tailed Tit were also moving through the nearby gardens at around 5pm.

After yesterday's Buzzard sightings, I would have liked to keep an eye out for more today, since the weather was practically identical. However, today I actually had to go into work, so I wasn't counting on much luck with the garden list. How wrong I was.

The first notable sighting was a Great Tit perched at the top of a tree at the edge of the woods; they rarely venture out to the gardens at this distance. At around 10:35 I caught sight of a Cormorant (garden tick) flying north over the woods out of the front window. When it passes behind the side of the house I rushed to the back window in an attempt to see it reappear, but it was too low (or too far) to see. In opening the window to get a better view, I heard a Skylark singing over the Pit Top (garden tick) and wondered if it would be high enough to see from the house. After a little searching I managed to locate it, seeing a single Great Black-backed Gull (heading north) in the process.

Rescanning the sky I picked up on a large (100+) flock of birds in the distance to the north west. This was shortly joined by another flock of equally-large size. They appeared to be roughly circling, but the movement reminded me more like a large flock of Starling going to roost. They were too big for Starling though and often, when changing direction, a shimmer like flash would appear as they caught the sunlight. I got the overall impression of a wader species, such as Lapwing or maybe even Golden Plover, but they may have been just Black-headed Gull. Nevertheless, it was interesting to watch them for a few minutes, until they disappeared behind the horizon.

At 11:15 a male Kestrel flew almost directly over and to the north. It hovered over the Pit Top for some time before disappearing over the woods. A short while before I had to leave 3 Dunnock were seen together on the ridge tiles of a nearby house, probably a female getting twice as much attention as she needs!

Two Blue Tit were calling and moving along the vent/grill [see photo] under the eves of our roof this morning at around 9am. They seemed to be feeding in a machine-like manner, sometimes hanging on and sometimes hovering. The blinds were almost closed, allowing close range views (approx. 1ft).

A single Buzzard was over the woods at 10:10am, showing well for about a minute drifting west towards the Pit Top. Another (probably the same bird) was seen just after 4pm, gliding from east to west over the woods and showing well in the afternoon sun.

Plenty of Sparrowhawk sightings today with the clear blue skies. One at 6:50, then 8:50, another before lunch, then one at 13:50 high up at the back, and another very high up over the woods. At 11:00, a group of 4 Long-tailed Tit were moving through the gardens calling. One of them visited our tree briefly; the first garden visit since recording started. Almost no gull records all day, with no Black-headed Gull, which is the first no show since they arrived, and only a single Common Gull - very odd. The Goldfinch seem to be roosting in the nearby tree again, with 5+ of them seen this evening.

A pair of Long-tailed Tit were feeding in the adjacent garden, and were also seen in the silver birch tree of the school. It's been over a week since I've seen any Goldfinch roosting in the nearby tree. There was no sign this evening, but the strong winds might be to blame (20mph). There's been plenty of recent Dunnock sightings with lots of tail-flicking going on.

A Blue Tit was clinging to the wall looking in at us from the bedroom window this morning! It was exploring the eves of our roof. There have been many more sightings of Magpie recently; usually in the tops of trees at the edge of the woods. Not a great day for birds - all sightings were in the early morning, due to near-constant rain the rest of the day.

A single male Chaffinch was the highlight of the day. It was seen flying to and in the large oak tree at the front.

A nice sunny day gave good views of a Pied Wagtail at the school, and a Sparrowhawk hunting. An unidentified thrush sp. was in the large oak tree.

Brief views of a probable Sparrowhawk were had in the morning, and good numbers of House Sparrow were in the conifers. A group of 13 Black-headed Gull were circling the Pit Top, and 3+ Common Gull were over the school field. A group of 4 Goldfinch visited our tree, but not the feeder.

February in Summary

The first week of February produced a Common Buzzard over the woods on the 2nd, and saw the long-awaited return of Long-tailed Tit visiting the nearby gardens on the 7th.

A pair of Collared Dove have become quite regular visitors towards the end of the month. They always visit in a pair and enjoy eating seed from the feeder tray, and have even sunbathed on it. They often perch on the fence by the tree, and will now come down onto the patio to feed on the seed fallen from the feeders.

Gull numbers have increased throughout the month with Black-headed Gull and Common Gull being daily sightings, probably roosting in the school fields nearby. Another increase came in the form of both Dunnock and Robin sightings, which have increased in frequency since their additions to the garden list last month.

This month has seen a marked decrease in finch visits to the garden, particularly Greenfinch, which have only been seen on the feeder once throughout the whole month. Goldfinch visits have been more frequent, but far less so than in previous months. However, I have discovered a regular Goldfinch roost in a nearby tree, which I can partially seen from the house. Typical numbers seen roosting were in the low teens, and the record of 16+ was on the 16th.

The most notable bird was the single Waxwing on the 25th, which was first seen at around 3pm in a distant tree with a group of Starlings. Ten seconds later it was gone. A single bird was at our local supermarket for over a week, but the last sighting was a week previous, so there was a reasonable chance. After scanning all the treetops (without success) trying to relocate it, I was about to give up. Just then it landed on the lamp post right outside my bedroom window and hungs around for about 15 minutes - a great day!

At dawn, 3 Goldfinch and a Blue Tit were on the feeder, and a Great Tit visited the tree briefly at 8:50am. A further flock of five Goldfinch visited around 9:30am.

At least one Redwing was seen the nearby oak tree, showing quite well in the good light this morning. Another garden tick was a single Dunnock in a neighbour's hedge, looking for food. Woodpigeon have been displaying for the past few days now, and a female Blackbird was seen collecting nest material.

Around 3pm two skeins of circa 30 wildfowl flew over the woods heading WNW, with the latter changing direction to N - possibly to avoid the rain.

Today was the RSPB Garden Birdwatch 2007. My survey was carried out between 8:45 and 9:45am, but the feeders were quite empty during this period. However, I did add a garden first in the form of a Wren, which was seen high up in the neighbour's conifers at about 9:15am - possibly it roosted there? A Sparrowhawk was gliding in the sunlight at 9:30am, heading in the direction of Arnold from Rise Park.

After refilling them at lunchtime, the numbers picked up, and a Kestrel was seen flying/hovering very high up in the sky above Warren Hill after watching a small flock (circa 20) of Starling going to roost at 4:30pm. A flock of unidentified wildfowl flew over heading NNW at dusk.

A cold day, having had light snow through the night, brought the first Blackbird into the garden (since recording). A female had come to explore the water I'd put out on the lawn. Two small flocks of Lapwing were seen flying NW in the direction of the Pit Top at about 9:30am.

A great day for garden birds with the first definite sighting of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, which was seen in flight heading east in front of the woods at noon. Shortly afterwards, at 12:15pm, a skein of 30-40 geese were flying NNW over the Pit Top area. These were later identified as Pink-footed Goose and confirmed by a report on the Notts Birders Website, where they were seen flying west over Arnold. Four Goldfinch were on the feeder around 2pm, and a Song Thrush and a Fieldfare were in the oak tree at dusk.

Today had several flyovers from new gulls, with both Great Black-backed Gull and Herring Gull heading over the Pit Top. I spent a while looking for woodpeckers in the distant trees, but had no luck at all. A male Sparrowhawk was seen high up in the afternoon sunlight, being persistently mobbed by a Carrion Crow.

The cold weather is bringing more birds to the garden feeders with four Goldfinch together on the feeder yesterday and six this morning! Circa 150 Rook flew over heading WSW at 3pm - the first time I've positively seen Rook from the garden.

The bad weather seems to have brought greater numbers out of the woods and into the gardens. Greenfinch and Goldfinch were regular visitors and, at one point, there were 3 Greenfinch, a single Goldfinch and several Starling in the tree and on the feeder. Three House Sparrow (1 male and 2 female) were in a neighbour's garden. A Kestrel was seen in silhouette, battling with the strong winds before sunset.

This morning brought the first Grey Squirrel to the so-called squirrel-proof feeder. It hung upside-down with its face in one of the ports before realising there was a load of seed in the tray. It seemed to eat a little before moving on - I guess their supplies in the woods are starting to run low. Pairs of Greenfinch and Goldfinch also visited the feeder, with a single Blue Tit first thing in the morning.

A single Coal Tit was on the feeder first thing in the morning, and a Blue Tit later. A few House Sparrow were around, and a single female briefly visited our tree.

The good weather brought lots of birds to the garden, with a Blue Tit in the morning, a Robin in the evening and Starling, Goldfinch and Greenfinch throughout the day.

Today I fitted a new feeder tray to stop all the spillages, and refilled all of the feeders too. I had good views of Starling, Goldfinch and Greenfinch on the feeder, and managed to digi-bin a few half-decent photos of the Goldfinch too - probably the best I've taken so far.

Today I've added Robin to the garden list. It was actually on the feeder for a few seconds, and then on the fence.

Two Greenfinch were on the feeder at 9:30am, and then a single Blue Tit, shortly followed by two Goldfinch. The finches were on the feeder throughout the day, with three Greenfinch together at one point in the afternoon, allowing for some reasonable digi-bin shots.

At 9:30am, a Kestrel was heading west in the direction of the Pit Top. Two Greenfinch were on the feeder together in the morning, and shortly afterwards another was on the feeder.

In the afternoon, a female Sparrowhawk was hunting, and landed on a tree in the adjacent garden.

A good start to the year with a reasonable garden list of 12 species, including a single Coal Tit on the feeder first thing in the morning and several House Sparrow, one of which came to our feeder (garden first).