A New Decade

It's 1'st January 2010 - the start of a new year and a new decade.  At 2am this morning, the full moon shone out of a cloudless sky and its light reflected off the hardpacked snow was enough to read by.  This morning, there was a  female Bullfinch picking berries off the Pyracantha bush - quite a rare sight here - joined briefly by a Chaffinch.  The hedge and bushes in the garden are bubbling with birds this morning. 

A few days ago I glanced up from preparing lunch to see a Sparrowhawk perched on the roof of the bird table.  I thought it was an owl at first sight but then I recognised it from a previous visit last summer, when it had brought fear into the bird population and the garden fell eerily silent as all the birds hid in hedges and all bird song ceased.  And then after a few minutes it flew off and the garden came to life again.

The harsh winter days seem to bring some birds out of hiding, to search for food in the most unlikely places.  There were two Goldfinches in the road outside the house  a couple of days ago.  Later that same day I saw Bluetits clinging to the stone wall on a neighbour's house, picking away in the crevices.

Todays birds include: Bullfinch (female), Chaffinches, Sparrows, Robin, Magpies.