Birdwatching

It started off rather chilly and dull this morning, so I decided I'd wait for it to warm and brighten up for a blip walk.
Sandy our neighbour's cat popped in for longer than usual visit and had me under her spell fairly quickly, purring very happily at all the fuss I made of her. She still had to have a good old nose though and was very jumpy when the boiler came on! She eventually left us when the weather looked better and strolled back towards her place. I better not her encourage her too much as I don't want anything untoward to become of the great tits and their prospective fledglings!

I didn't get to go on the blip walk in end as I rather fancied watching the birds in the garden instead. I wrapped up and with my mug of tea  found a sheltered spot with a great view. I mostly saw the robins, great tits, blackbirds, sparrows, and swallows swooping. I'm pretty sure that was a male linnet about too which was exciting. It's a great spot and one I will return to many times.

This is my favourite shot so far today, as I love the light and the slight ruffing of the feathers. Does anyone know if it's possible to tell the difference between males and females as there are definitely two of them about?