The birds are back

At 11 am the temperature has just crawled above freezing after minus 4.5 C overnight. The birds are coming back in from the fields to feed on the peanuts, birdseed and kitchen scraps we put out. There's plenty of berries in the hedges and on the holly tree - and pigeons and or pheasants have been eating my sprouts! - but when it's so cold they need to fuel up. This morning's visitors include:

• Pheasant - magnificent golden male
• Collar dove - only one, usually they go around in pairs lovey dovey
• Several wood pigeons
• Long-tail tits
• Great tits
• Robin
• Dunnocks
• Nut hatch