Hello again, and compliments of the Season!
A female sparrowhawk flew into our garden the other day, and sat on the birdbath, 
looking around her. She is larger than the male bird, and browner, the male being bluey grey. There were no feathers splayed about, when I ventured outside, so she didn’t get a meal!
Andrew Renshaw tells me he sees goldcrests in his garden, and has also seen lapwings in the fields,
plus a large flock of golden plovers in the sky. The last time I saw these plovers was in the south of Ireland, where they spend the winter in the estuaries.
Walking down the lane yesterday, I heard a loud low croak above me. Looking up, I saw a raven flying overhead. A very large bird of the crow family, distinguished by his wedge shaped tail. Ravens used to be birds of the coastal cliffs, but in recent years, they have moved into farmland. 
In the garden, we have the regular birds feeding on the seed and nuts, including blue and great tits, coal tits, the occasional long tailed tits, finches, sparrows and blackbirds. We also get regular visits from someone we don’t want – Mr squirrel! One of his tricks is to knock the feeder down to the ground, so that he can get at the nuts – clever dick!
Alan Jones – 841671
