New visitors to my garden today!

[Madelinew]

I got very excited when I spotted my first fieldfare this morning. What a beautiful beautiful bird - how have I never seen one before. There are now up to 4 at any one time perched in a tree nearby and it took them 3 hours of 'casing the joint' before getting the nerve to join the ground feeders and chase off the poor beleaguered thrushes.

Also had a very brief visit from my very first male bullfinch. I've seen plenty of those before but never in my garden.

The feeders are all exceptionally busy right now at a time when I'm supposed to be studying but am very easily distracted. I just watched a green woodpecker carefully move soem snow then peck through the ice into a mound of earth he favours in the garden. Whatever he found he was chased off from and his spoils seized by a crafty magpie.

Excellent viewing conditions too with a very clear sky and the light bouncing off the snow and ice. Perfect day :-)

[thebeard]

looked for fieldfares (and redwings) for ages, then saw them on the 28th dec, since then i can't go anywhere without seeing them! great birds, i hope i see more of them before they go back home!

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

Nice birds, if you put apples out and you have blackbirds that normally feed on them the fieldfares will bully them off, they are certainly agressive little things lol

[AndrewB]

It does seem to be something of a bumper year this year with many people reporting sightings. Although I wonder if its just that I hadnt previously noticed

I imagine the weather is probably lot worse in northern europe than it is here.

[Madelinew]

The kids made a snowman yesterday and used half an orange for it's nose. This morning, it's been chipped off the snowman by the birds and is now being attacked by the blackbirds. Hilarious yesterday watching a blackbird take a piece of food and spend a few minutes chasing off other claimants to his prize. In the meantime, another one sneaked in and swiped it.