While I was drinking my first coffee....

I heard a flapping in the neighbour's rowan tree, only a few yards from our back door. I looked up and could make out two sets of wings flapping about in a tentative skirmish deep in the thick of the tree's leaves. It was only then that I saw that there were berries on the tree already, which apparently is normal from July. Then a freckled breast and a large bird's head appeared .

I was sitting by the wide open patio doors and decided to rush upstairs to get my camera. It was luckily still set up with a zoom and by peering gingerly out of y study window I saw that this delightful thrush was still jumping about the tree looking for berries to gobble up. I took a few shots all of amuse me, as they show the thrush both eating and carefully checking me out to make sure I wasn't a threat, like its competitor, which I think must have been a blackbird.

I liked this particular shot as it shows the moment of triumph.  the next shot immediately after would have revealed an empty but still open mouth hungry for more. Eventually the thrush flew off the tree with a squawk and flew away to the bottom of the garden to digest what I think were quite a few berries. 

I'm so glad that there are thrushes all around us, as we seldom get sight of them. At the moment there are a lot of birds hiding away, but singing merrily.  While I was taking the pictures I heard the nearly constant mewing of a young buzzard just down in the valley, where the tall trees probably conceal a nest. I might go looking for where that is, but on another day.