A budding snack

I always find it amazing that birds can navigate very spiky bushes without actually coming to any harm.  In the case of this bush (which I think might be a hawthorn(?)) those spikes look as though they could easily take out a bird's eye.

As you can see, the female chaffinch is busy picking off, and eating, the leaf buds.  I understand that while chaffinches largely eat insects in the summer at this time of year  they look for seed , shoots and berries. I've seen other birds (particularly the tits) eating leaf buds, but not previously managed to photograph a chaffinch doing it.  

I had an earlier than usual start this morning as I had to go to Southmead Hospital for the drug trial clinic.  Having got home I realised that I still had enough energy for a walk and made it outside for a good hour or so before lunchtime.  Needless to say, I then had to have a lie down and a snooze for an hour or so, but that is some progress I think.  I expect I shall be exhausted again tomorrow, but I definitely think that things are beginning to improve a bit on the post covid front.