WHAT I SAW TODAY.....

[greenfinch2]

You are getting nice winter birds JS ,

[nuthatch]

[Placido]

A fleeting song thrush - about 30 seconds .

The stranger was set upon by a gang of 'my' blackbirds and exited rapidly.

In a collective nounly sort of way it should be A Bully of Blackbirds .
'Nounly' is a made-up adverb .

[Placido]

10 seconds of immobile amazement: on the side wall next to an unconcerned dunnock was a GSW.
Flew off into the trees and that was that.

[Jacksparrow]

10 seconds of immobile amazement: on the side wall next to an unconcerned dunnock was a GSW.
Flew off into the trees and that was that.

Megaspot. almost as rare as an england test win in Aus.

[Placido]

Oh, stop it !!

[nuthatch]

Nice to spot a great spotted woodpecker, Placi - exciting if anything

[Jacksparrow]

Was all the usual suspects as every other day this winter with the exception of when the first lot of snow fell. I am not losing my enthusiasm for feeding the birds and definitely not scaling back on my garden bird activities. I know from my weekly BTO reports that very little varies nowadays with regards to bird attendance whereas in time past I could hopefully expect to see one or two of the rarer visitors from time to time. During recent years a whole new belt of housing has been built around my town and I've gone from living on the edge of town to being a built up area resident. I live in hope that some of the exotica will discover my little oasis even yet but confess to be getting just a little bored.

[Placido]

I absolutely concur with your 'boredom' feeling, Jacksparrow.
In the great scheme of things 15 years isn't much but back then I had goldfinches, starlings and greenfinches as a matter of course, and even the very occasional nuthatch and bullfinch. Now my daily fare is limited to sparrows (and not as many as previously), blackbirds and a few tits.
The only bird which thrives is the pigeon, of both main varieties.
To spot what is now a 'rarity' is a red letter day.

My feeding regime hasn't varied except that the quantities are smaller, which is very telling.

[greenfinch2]

my feeding is the same but got a big bag of sunflower seeds so now have plenty for 2 feeders and the goldfinches are in there dozens and Greenfinches have returned and all seem healthy ,sturks are less at the moment and very few Blackbirds plenty apples out but few takers .