What have you seen

Saw some more Fieldfares on the Hawthorn berries by Middleham gallops this afternoon, and forgot to mention that we passed a field containing a large flock of Lapwings yesterday.

Beautiful, we used to see Golden Plover amongst the flocks of Lapwings at Alkborough Flats or pyewipe as we call these birds. Unfortunately not so often these days as the goldies are subject to being blasted out of the skies by the shooting fraternity. I just don’t get this. Certainly not sporting is it! Nor is that list of other birds still shot for pleasure!

https://www.birdguides.com/articles/conservation/unfair-game-the-birds-that-can-still-be-shot-in-the-uk/

Buzzards out today, sitting on hedge tops eyeing up dinner. 

Spotted various birds, keep looking for our local cranes but still elusive. 

We went in search of the cranes, if like us you will hear them before spotting them, totally awesome when we finally spotted them. Next year we are in search of the UK Storks and WTE amongst other species. A few years it was spoonbills which were our delight and before that avocets! What next?

Gosh difficult to keep up with filling bird feeders and keep their  water unfrozen in these conditions. It's still -2c and foggy, not changed since 9am when it reached such dizzy heights 🥶🥶🥶

Feathered visitors are so swift visiting hard to tell if we have any newbies! But I did notice a bullfinch this morning. Still at least the same amount of sparrows and starlings and 4 blackbirds at once plus 3 Robins at the same time. They are staying inside the hedge unless they're feeding or bathing. Bet when it's time to do the garden bird count they'll be less!

Saw my first fox since we arrived yesterday as we walked the fields. Not heard any red kites in the freezing fog.....

I had a brief glimpse of a Barn Owl, flying along the hedgeline near our new site,  around 16:00  when returning from my late afternoon walk. More Fieldfares here and a skien of Pink-footed Geese passed overhead too.

More skeins of geese passing over the site, both esrly morning and when it was dark, heading in a South easterly direction. There has been a large flock of both Redwings and Fieldfare, along with another separate one of Starlings, feeding on the trees and the ground around the CL today. Spotted a Treecreeper and a Kestral on our walks with Flyte too.

Have been watching the birds on the feeder and had a surprise to see a Middle Spotted Woodpecker and looks we might have a pair as I have seen the male and female much smaller than the Greater and a different pattern on the head and front, also noticed that the Marsh Tits take more than 1 seed at a time up to 3 sometimes as they are much smaller than the other tits.

We have a holly tree at the rear of the house loaded with red berries lookingnvery festive, well it was until yesterday morning when 6 or so Redwings stripped it bare of all the berries...

Same as ours, the Blackbirds always get there first. We've got some mistletoe, that's doing well this year.