What's flying near you?

Looked out over the fields and there was a veritable swarm of small birds. Looked closer with binoculars and they were goldfinches, swirling and settling, swirling and settling. Probably over 100. I've seen them in numbers before but not that many.

I've been watching a magpie, perched on the overflow pipe sticking out of next door's house wall. The rain is still heavy but the magpie was enjoying it, preening his feathers, fluffing his wings and shaking a leg. Lovely to watch on a dreary day.

Persistent rain here today and was watching a robin out the window sheltering in a vine on our front wall. Every now and then it helped itself to a grape even though they are still quite sour. There has not been enough sunshine here to ripen a lot of things this year.

On waking this morning I opened up the front curtains and saw a kite launch from the railway embankment. It wasn't particularly warm but he used every thermal there was to keep aloft, hardly flapping at all. Almost effortless flight until he was harassed by a crow. He was then joined by a buzzard. Crow (or whatever) turned his attention to the buzzy and continued back and forth between the two. An avian dogfight.

I was digging in the garden yesterday when I became conscious of a very faint twittering. When I looked up, it was the robin that had been keeping me company all morning. It just seemed to be muttering or talking to itself.

I was digging in the garden yesterday when I became conscious of a very faint twittering. When I looked up, it was the robin that had been keeping me company all morning. It just seemed to be muttering or talking to itself.

I've noticed that with Robins, they're very interested in what's going on and lurk nearby muttering under their breath.

Just been to the end of the road with Bob to try and help a neighbour ( we couldn’t help, a plumber was definitely needed). Turned the car round to go home. There was a magpie sat on a sheep’s back. First one I ever seen on the island. We just sat and watched for a few minutes. It jumped off the seep and jumped about on the grass next to it. In some respects it was great to see in others not so much. They’re not part of the mull ecosystem.

I was watching a tree creeper this morning. He was working his way up the rowan picking off insects as he went.

As its getting colder and the berries and seeds in the garden are disappearing, I filled the bird feeders yesterday evening (two with fat balls and one with seeds). I wondered how long it would take the birds to find them.
Not long! There were constant visitors this morning, mostly various tits. Also a Nuthatch, haven't seen one of those for a while so it was a real treat to see that he'd found the food so quickly,