Arctic Redpoll

While much of the rest the country seemed to be waking up to blankets of snow, I looked out to see the merest scatter of flakes frozen onto roofs and pavements. But there was bright sunshine, so I took myself off for a quiet walk round Swaddywell Pit. As I headed west the snow became a little more pronounced, and the road from Castor to Helpston had a thin cover of snow and ice, making driving more interesting.

I crunched round the site, which was relatively quiet. Certainly no sign of the tree sparrows, but a few fieldfares and reed buntings were around, as well as the usual blue tits and dunnocks. As I walked under the birches I became aware of a chattering sound and looked up to see a flock of redpolls above my head, busy feeding on the birch seeds. I watched them for some time, until a bird-scarer in a nearby field sent them all fluttering for the shelter of a dense hawthorn.