The first snow

The first snow of winter (OK so officially it isn't winter for another month) also brought the return of the blackbird. I haven't seen one in the garden since July 20th. He had a good forage all around the garden.

I also saw my first great tit in the garden, albeit very briefly, as he flew to an unused feeder on the fence (so unused that I hadn't even cleaned it) but flew off again before I could take a photo. A coal tit came and used the new feeder, trying all six ports. Apart from one sparrow, it's the first bird I've seen use it in two weeks.

There was also a small bird on the fence, probably a wren, but the photo was inconclusive. It (or another similar bird) flew down to the garden to feed, but it was darting about so fast that I'm nott 100% sure what it was. It certainly wasn't a sparrow, tit or dunnock so wren is the most likely.

I also spotted what I'm sure is a mistle thrush yesterday and again today, but only on chimneys and a fairly nearby tree. It hasn't shown any signs of coming to the garden yet.

Yesterday I saw the first wood pigeon in ages and there were the now common seven or eight collared doves. I'd noticed the food in the ground feeders was being eaten again in large amounts. I saw a pair of dunnocks and they seemed to be tolerating each other. Unfortunately I was on the phone so couldn't get a photo of them both together.

I seem to be down to a dozen or so house sparrows and perhaps twice that in starlings. All the birds seem much more nervous than the summer but there's a cat that is often on the garden as well as the pair of sparrowhawks in the area. And of course me standing by the window.