No Business Like Snow Business

Heavy snow fall meant that I did not venture far from the house restricting my travels to the old patch and West Glebe Park. Recent work means that most of my old patch is no longer accessible and any future visits are likely to be few and far between. Not a lot of bird life on view though both Bullfinches and Goldfinches looked very nice against a white background and a Redpoll provided the day's highlight. I liked crunching across the almost virgin snow, the tracks of rabbits were one of the few signs of life.

View from the patch.

A few early drivers made slow and very careful progress along uncleared roads as I left the patch. Given the conditions I thought that there might be a little more life around the village gardens where bird feeders might offer the chance of a meal for hungry birds and so headed off there.

In the Old Village and West Glebe the stream looked like a glistening black thread on a gleaming white blanket, I followed it as much as I could looking for anything of interest, Apart from a few Wrens I couldn't find much. During more protracted cold spells even urban streams can pull in birds such as Snipe, Jack Snipe and Water Rail but I think that there's still lots of open water at the moment so such species have not had to move on. West Glebe was busy with dog walkers, I had sympathy for a short legged terrier and hoped for the poor chap's sake that the snow didn't get much deeper. A few kids had by now begun to venture out into the snow and I finished my walk by wandering through the wood. Not much to look at with a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a few Robins and Blackbirds the only passerines seen.

West Glebe Park.

Back in the village I found Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests moving through the gardens, I hope that this cold spell doesn't hang around long enough to affect them too much. Due to the falling snow I couldn't take many pictures which was a shame because it really did look lovely.