Showery with cold northerly wind.
Dog walking this morning showed plenty of birdlife but nothing unusual. The chimney Jackdaws seem to be busy bringing sticks so are obviously intent on nest building there again. Magpies and Jays always let you know when they are about as do the Crows and Ravens which are always to be seen in the fields to the rear of home.
There do seem to be many more Song Thrushes about at the moment but they are much shyer than the Blackbirds which abound. Two Mistle Thrushes seen again on the local football pitch. If I keep walking they usually stay on the ground but if I stop to have a better look they take off and head for tall trees somewhere close at hand. Long Tailed Tits seem to have paired off because I no longer see these in large groups, only pairs. Blue and Great Tits are still plentiful especially on the feeders which abound round the village. Wood Pigeons, I believe are already nesting but Collared Doves will be following shortly.
Robins, Wrens and Hedge Sparrows all seem to be plentiful, especially in the garden. They all can be heard singing almost all day long. The local Buzzards can also be heard calling away during most of the day. If you step outside the door you can mostly hear a Buzzard calling. House Sparrows are also plentiful but mostly at the other end of the road.
The highlight of the day came this afternoon when a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flew into the Whitebeam tree at the roadside in our Garden. What a delight, the first I have seen for some years.

Cold, wet and windy.
Some weeks since I added to this blog. I have made a visit to the RSPB site at Newport Wetlands and called in at the New Fancy feeders on a few occasions.
Not much in the way of unusual birds around the village. A pair of Mistle Thrushes are frequently seen at various sites, either feeding on the football pitch or or one of the small paddocks about here.They often give their alarm call and fly off into cover. Even today there were two Redwings feeding in one paddock with two Song Thrushes and three Blackbirds. A pair of Buzzards were very vocal flying over towards the Forest this morning. Wrens, Robins and Hedge Sparrows were all singing in the garden today. The hedge at the end of the garden showed some Greenfinches, Goldfinches and a pair of Woodpigeons which seem to be nesting in some Ivy. A Long Tailed Tit was seen with a beakful of nesting material. Great Tits and Blue Tits seem to be in evidence everywhere.
At the New Fancy feeders there are always a good mix of the tit family.There usually seem to be about 50 Chaffinches with a few Bramblings amongst them. The lone Hawfinch is often seen but not on every visit. Four Siskins were on the feeders on my last visit.
On a recent visit to the Newport Wetland Centre there was a large flock of Goldfinches on the feeders near the visitor centre accompanied by a pair of Reed Buntings and a few Greenfinches. The water outside this centre was patrolled by a Little Egret which was not at all put out by the frequent human visitors.
Further away from the Centre we saw Tufted Duck, Pochard, with Curlews out on the mudflats.