In the Garden

The weather has been terrible recently with two storms close together - Ciara and Dennis plus lots of smaller but no less horrible storms afterwards all managing to fall on my days off so I haven't been much of anywhere in the past couple of weeks apart from the usual commute to work (i've lost count of how many hail storms i've been caught in!). The past couple of mornings have brought snow and heavy rain right on rush hour which pretty much meant walking was done through deep slush and mini streams, not fun!

It's been good for garden watching, even when the rain has been at it's heaviest and the wind at it's strongest some of the braver birds have been hogging the feeders. We're starting to see Foxes in the garden more often now too and the Mouse is a regular in the window feeder.

A Sparrowhawk has been hanging around the garden a fair bit, i've not seen it catch anything though

Long-tailed Tits are now daily visitors and are often the last ones on the feeders late afternoon 

Goldfinch

Magpie

Feral Pigeon

Robin. 

We paved the area under the feeders late last year, it makes cleaning up the mess underneath a lot easier

There has been both a male and female Blackcap in the garden, at different times, both ate berries off the Cotoneaster, the only birds i've seen do this! But the male also took some big chunks off the fat balls too.

Less regular visitors are Greenfinch, Coal Tits, Wrens and Woodpigeons but all the usual birds are out in decent numbers - Collard Doves, Sparrows, Starlings, Great, Blue Tits, Dunnocks, Blackbirds. 

The garden is now full of Snowdrops, they've spread down the flowerbeds in the back garden and under the hedge at the front. The Hellebore is in full flower and lots of shoots are coming through. 

Hopefully the weather will improve a little over the next few weeks and I can be out and about as usual!