Hello Everyone
It’s a lovely day today (Friday, 15th). Cold, but sunny. Lots of birds in the garden, including Mr. G.S. Woodpecker (or Mrs., I haven’t studied it closely enough!) Also, the tits – including several coal tits, plus goldfinches, chaffinches, 
the odd greenfinch plus the larger birds, of course – collared doves, wood pigeons and jackdaws. I wonder if we will get any visits from the northern birds, such as bramblings and waxwings. We’ve seen bramblings in the garden in a few Winters, but never waxwings. Here’s hoping.
The birds have started singing now – their thoughts must 
be turning towards love! I’ve heard robins, wrens, dunnocks, song thrushes and blackbirds – not quite the dawn chorus yet, but getting there. For such a tiny bird, the wren makes his presence felt by singing very loudly.
Margaret and I paid a visit to one of our favourite places the other day – Bowling Green Marsh, the RSPB reserve near Topsham. What a spectacle awaited us! There must have been thousands of wild 
duck, mainly wigeon, but also teal (our smallest duck), shoveller, gadwall and some others. Also, hundreds of wild 
brent geese, plus canada geese and lots of gulls. Slightly disappointing was the fact that we didn’t see many avocets this time. They are around there somewhere, but must be in hiding.
I recently added a container of fat balls to our feeders. The tits like them, particularly long tailed tits. They have visited several times, in force, to gorge on them.
Alan Jones 01404 841671
