Lunch for one

Having reported last week on the breakfast-and-supper bird visitors, today's big sighting was more a case of lunch for one.  The local red kite, who cruises by occasionally to check whether the neighbours' cat has left any dead mice on their lawn (then comes down and eats them if so), did a fly-past and came to rest in the big ash tree at the bottom of the garden.  He had brought his packed lunch with him and proceeded to tuck in; I couldn't see what he was eating, probably part of a pheasant.  Unfortunately he must have sensed he was being watched, as he kept looking round uneasily and after only a minute or so decided to take his meal elsewhere.  We don't usually have the opportunity to view the kites so clearly; although they do sometimes hunt low, we rarely see them at rest.

He was too late to be counted as part of the Big Garden Birdwatch.  I did two Birdwatches, to see which one gave the best results.  Friday's count, in good weather, was ok, but entirely of our usual birds, the ones we could rely on seeing day in day out, with perhaps the addition of the wren spotted skulking in the undergrowth, and a couple of chaffinches.  Today I tried again; after several relatively mild days the night had been cold and, although we didn't realise at the time, snow showers were on the way (not forecast!), which might have encouraged the birds to come down to feed quickly.  The count was just as good as Friday's, including the wren and chaffinches, and in addition we had a goldfinch, fieldfare and the little family of long-tailed tits, the latter all piling together onto the peanut container in a flurry of long tails sticking out at all angles.  All duly counted and submitted to the RSPB.  Job done for another year.

The snow didn't lie, and at the moment there is no more in the forecast - but it's hard to tell as the forecast seems to change daily just now!