Far Fieldfare and Frozen Fingers.

I did my Garden Birdwatch as usual today then added on an extra half hour to make it up to the RSPB count. Hardly worth the bother, as I only added a few extra House Sparrows. Still, I managed 8 species in all, which is a reasonable everyday total. You can't expect Lammergeiers every day! Despite having spent the day up at Longshaw yesterday, I didn't get a chance to have a wander - it was only just getting light when I started my duty, and virtually dark when I left, so I decided to brave the icy northwesterly blasts as it was at least sunny. I'm glad I did, as I saw more birds than I had anticipated, including Redwing, Mistle Thrush, a couple of Fieldfare and some fantastic views of a Buzzard which seems to have taken up residence in our nearby fields this winter - much to the annoyance of the local crows. The downside was that it was difficult to hold the camera still  the strong winds with frozen fingers. Both the Fieldfare shot from afar and the by now distant Buzzard in extras relied on my being able to brace myself against the drystone walls. At least the Buzzard turned his head at the required moment and the Fieldfare had a catchlight in his eye.