Speckled blackbird

There are two pied blackbirds visiting the garden. One has a white feather in his tail and the other is this one, who looks as if some snow has fallen on his shoulders. (Do birds have shoulders?!)

Study in green!

We bought a posh new bird feeder ( supposedly squirrel resistant but the furry rodent still manages to fish out a few seeds) and it's proved very popular with the parakeets. I wonder if they think it's a very rotund member of their own species? It's certainly good camouflage!

Fieldfare

The fieldfares arrived with the snow and I managed to get the photo of one sitting in a tree on next door's garden. My zoom lens works to about 40 feet. Oh for a more powerful one! I discovered last year that the best way of attracting fieldfares to your garden is by putting out some pieces of apple. They love it.

By the way, you can tell a fieldfare from a song thrush by the ruddy tints on its chest.

Fox close-up

My partner was in the right place at the right time, with camera in hand, as this fox came right up to the patio door and gazed in as if to say, "Oy, where's me grub?" How I wish I'd taken this photo! Just look at the wild eyes, reflecting the camera flash.

Fox stash

My partner took this one. We'd thrown out some stale buns and caught the fox burying them between the flowerpots.

Snow fox

I put one of these photos on my Facebook page (my dear sister accused me of stealing the image from Christmas card, how dare she!), but I thought you might like to see all four shots that I took.

First, I caught sight of him lurking beneath the apple trees...


Then he began to approach...


Then he trotted a bit closer...


And finally, I got the prizewinning shot! Or is the last one better? I love them both.

Snow Birds

The birds didn't know quite what to make of the snow. For the youngsters, it was the first time they had ever seen it. This starling on the roof of the bird table seems to be looking up and asking, "What on earth is landing on my head?"


The blue tit has realised that it's easier to use our new feeder where the food is released from the bottom and sheltered from the snow, than to cling to one of the others.


And as for this robin... well, it's a typical Christmas card shot, isn't it?

Well fed fox

I came into the kitchen yesterday and spotted the fox curled up like a ginger cat on the lawn. "Is it okay?" I asked my partner.

"Yes," he replied. "It's just eaten a whole tin of cat food and it's sleeping it off."

You can clearly see the mange in this photo. I found some of last year's anti-mange drops and hope they will still work. I shall start putting a sandwich out every night now (peanut butter or jam) with the drops on and will chart its progress.

Another pic of the strange blackbird

Odd bird

Is it a mutant blackbird? It was in the garden yesterday and had a white feather in its tail and a black beak, whereas blackbirds have a golden beak. Any suggestions?

Scrounger!

This fox lies in wait until it sees us in the kitchen. Then it comes right up to the glass and makes eye contact. As soon as we open the patio door, it runs away a few steps and waits to see what we will throw: a biscuit, a rasher of bacon, a peanut butter sandwich. It has mange and a nasty raw patch on one side. I shall have to get some more anti-mange medicine to treat it with.