Mild but cloudy day. Some sun later.
A fair day for birdlife with a good variety on show today.
Three Buzzards were circling over the house this morning making a lot of noise as they did so. On my walk around the village today Crow, Magpie, Jay and Jackdaws all put in an appearance. Great Tits, Long tailed and Blue Tits were all busy in the shrubs and small trees that I passed. Only one Fieldfare in the orchard with a couple of Blackbirds and a Chaffinch keeping it company. Woodpigeons and Collared Doves seem to be everywhere making a lot of noise as they went about their business.
A single Nuthatch was seen in a neighbouring garden. Robin, Wren and Hedgesparrow all put in an appearance in the garden together with Greenfinches and Siskins. A Song Thrush was singing well in the bottom hedge this morning competing well with the resident Blackbird. Highlight of the day was a Goldcrest flitting about the hedge at the end of the garden. A Pied Wagtail put in several visits to the house roof whilst I was gardening.

Frosty overnight, followed by a grey day.
The lamb pictured is the first to be born to one of the street sheep that frequent the village. You do have to slow down when you are driving about as they are very inclined to stroll out into the road just as traffic is approaching.
Very quiet on the bird watching front today. Several Song Thrushes were seen along with one Fieldfare and two Chaffinches feeding in the orchard that I pass when dog walking. The oak wood revealed about dozen Blackbirds, two Jays and a large number of Woodpigeons. A Buzzard soared over the tree tops in the Forest and two Greenfinches sang from the top of a large Leylandii hedge. Robins trilled their mournful winter song from numerous trees and bushes as I passed. House sparrows seemed to be very busy and Great and Blue Tits were also much in evidence.

Snow overnight. Thawed well all day.
Quiet morning around the village today. Robins, Wrens and Hedgesparrows all singing well in the garden this morning along with the resident cock Blackbird. Plenty of Woodpigeons and Collared doves flying about from Forest to fields and back again. A good mix of Blue and Great Tits with a few Longtailed keeping them company. Jays always seem to have a lot to say for themselves and they were having their say this morning. Some of the local Jackdaws are very interested in one of our chimneys, I expect they will nest there, as usual.
A visit to Cannop this afternoon revealed a lot of different species. A Buzzard flew across No. 2 pond while there was an abundance of waterfowl in attendance. Two Mute swans came to see us first, followed by a multitude of Mallards. Two drake Mandarins were accompanied by one duck. There were four Tufted duck drakes and two females out on the water and one Greylag goose. At the feeders there were generous numbers of tits, Blue, Great, Longtailed and Coal. A few Chaffinches and Blackbirds were feeding on the floor accompanied by a cock Reed Bunting. On the walk back to the car one Grey Wagtail came to the edge of the pond and was feeding very close to me. There was plenty of water flowing out towards the other pond, due no doubt to all the melting snow.

Snowy, cold but bright.
Very quiet on the bird front here over the last few days but quite a bit of snow making it treacherous underfoot on the side roads. All the usual birds have been in evidence but mostly in small quantities.
Several Greater Spotted Woodpeckers and Nuthatches were seen in the woods, with two Fieldfares feeding on windfall apples.
A journey further afield was called for as the village was only yielding sightings of all the normal suspects. New Fancy was first call, no Hawfinch but a large quantity of Chaffinches were under the feeders as were about six Robins flitting from place to place. The feeders were occupied by loads of tits. Great, Blue, Coal and Longtailed were all to be seen.
A visit to Cannop followed with the following being seen on the water, Mute Swan, Mallard, Mandarin, Coot and Moorhen. Nothing unexpected there then. The feeders were swarming with birds. Great, Blue, Coal and Longtailed Tits were all feeding well in good quantities as were a large flock of Chaffinches, both sexes, about equal in number. Two Reed Bunting cocks and one hen were feeding for a long spell as were Robins and a single Nuthatch. Other visitors were one Song Thrush, several Blackbirds, a Treecreeper which confined itself to the small tree trunks and a Grey Wagtail. An interesting hour or so in the snowy Forest.
During an evening walk with the dog, one Rabbit ran across in front of us, the first seen for some time. Normally they are about all day long, here. Tracks in the snow showed Rabbits all over the place, with both a Fox and Deer having visited the oak wood that I pass through.

Dry but foggy all day.
A depressing day due to the fog not lifting at all here but a good day bird wise. A quick trip across the Forest this morning revealed that the weather was slightly better elsewhere but I certainly didn't see any sunshine.
The Speech House field was busy with birdlife, a few Crows in the distance but the thrush family was well represented. Several Blackbirds were accompanied by two Mistle Thrushes, a couple of Song Thrushes and about a dozen Redwings. A quick visit to New Fancy on my way home and a Hawfinch was feeding on the ground under the feeders. This will certainly be the highlight of my week. There were a large number of Chaffinches in the vacinity together with Coal Tits a plenty, a lone Nuthatch and lots of Blue and Great Tits. On my way back home a lone Buzzard was sitting at the top of a dead tree, silhouetted against the sky.
My walk around the village today showed large numbers of Woodpigeons, some feeding in various open spaces but mostly flying to and fro at high speed. A couple of pairs of Collared Doves flew up noisily as well. A Green Woodpecker took off from a patch of grass up into some large oak trees. Two Greenfinches were calling from the top of a Leylandii hedge while a Hedge Sparrow fed on the ground below. Several House Sparrows were feeding in the road but joined a lot of their colleagues in the Hawthorn hedge as I passed.
A flock of Goldfinches were seen in the trees at the end of the garden with Wrens and Robins busying themselves about the place. Our resident cock Blackbird was sitting in the bottom of a large shrub singing very quietly, it won't be long before he is going full tilt. The Hazel catkins are growing by the day, Spring cannot be too far away.

Cloudy but mild.
A few very quiet days as far as birds and wildlife are concerned. The sun has been shining for short periods and this brightens things considerably. Many birds are starting to sing although Spring is obviously some way off. Blackbirds, Song thrushes and Robins have all been very vocal along with Wrens and Great Tits whose song is a little boring to say the least. The Hedge Sparrows who may look a little nondescript, certainly brighten things with their cheerful renderings.
There is still one Fieldfare feeding in the small orchard, accompanied today by two Chaffinches and a lone Woodpigeon. A Greater Spotted Woodpecker flew off through the oak wood as I approached whilst a Nuthatch busied itself along some of the upper branches. Woodpigeons and Blackbirds were feeding among the leaves on the woodland floor.
Today there were six Ravens making a big commotion and flying in and out of the tree tops. I've never seen this many together in the village before. They have certainly bred locally in the past as I've seen them feeding youngsters on the local football pitch in recent years.
Magpies, Crows and Jackdaws all put in an appearance throughout the day with Blue and Longtailed Tits flitting along the hedges.
Several Grey Squirrels about today, again, running away up the nearest tree, much to my dog's disgust. The molehills seem to grow both in quantity and size, some of them are getting mighty close to the edge of the football pitch. If they appear on there, they will not be popular.
The first lamb of the year has been born to one of the street sheep, I'll try to get a picture up shortly.

Sunshine, sleet, rain, cloud.
A very mixed bag of weather over the last few days has not brought any unusual birds to light locally. Everything that one would expect to see about the village has been present. A tawny owl flew across in front of the car, well lit up in our headlights. The first I have seen for some time although we hear plenty especially during the later months of the year when they are establishing their territories.
A couple of trips to New Fancy over the weekend failed to bring any hawfinches into view. I did however see a brambling, a flock of about 20 chaffinches and large numbers of blue and great tits.
A visit to Slimbridge did of course reveal lots of new birds that are never seen at home. Curlews, lapwings, sandpiper, mallard, Canada geese, shelduck, shovelor, wigeon and pochard were all there in large numbers. The starling display, coming up to dusk, really has to be seen, it is spectacular. Large quantities of jackdaws roost on the grounds there too, along with loads of woodpigeons. The bewicks swans were of course present in large numbers.