Montpelier Station!

The sub-zero temperatures seem to have encouraged some bird activity this morning, with singing Dunnock and Goldfinch plus half a dozen Chaffinches and a couple of Starlings near the feeders and a splendid male Blackcap who perched on a branch for several seconds but unfortunately my camera was in my bag and I couldn't photograph him.

St Andrews Park!

A stroll round the park this morning produced about 15 Redwings, 4 Blackbirds, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Robins, a singing Dunnock and a few Goldfinches.

Blackbird

Long-tailed Tit

Redwing

Robin

Frisky Dunnocks!

This morning in the garden a couple of Dunnocks were doing a little dance so it looks like they are a-courting.

I did my Avon Winter Bird Survey this morning in the Montpelier, St Andrews and St Pauls 1km square. Results were as follows:

Black-headed Gull 3
Herring Gull 15
Feral Pigeon 20
Woodpigeon 18
Collared Dove 5
Magpie 4
Carrion Crow 9
Goldcrest 2
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 4
Coal Tit 2
Long-tailed Tit 2
Wren 2
Starling 6
Blackbird 5
Robin 7
Dunnock 4
House Sparrow 16
Chaffinch 1
Goldfinch 2

Fox on the tracks!

A Fox was wandering along the tracks near the tunnel at Montpelier Station this morning. As it was raining I didn't bring my camera so was unable to shoot it. The fox has been photographed by other local people and shared on Facebook in recent days.

Corvids and a wolf!

A Jackdaw flew over St Andrews Road this morning and a Raven over Picton Street shortly after. Amazingly I see fewer Jackdaws than Ravens over Montpelier these days! Also, a Wolf Spider was basking on an Ivy leaf near the station - my first spider of the year.

Wolf Spider

Narroways!

A couple of hours on Narroways Nature Reserve this morning produced a Grey Wagtail on the brook and 6 Long-tailed Tits and a Goldcrest in Ash Wood - very quiet, but Blue and Great Tits, Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins and Blackbirds a-plenty.. Lesser Celandines were in flower along the brook at Boiling Wells, plus Male and Hart's Tongue Ferns.

Blue Tit

Lesser Celandine

Hart's Tongue Fern

Grey Wagtail

Male Fern