Birds!

Did you all spend a pleasant Valentine's Day?  My brother and sister spoiled me again with this parcel full of goodies and a lovely card:

There were surprise visitors yesterday morning:


I couldn't tell if they were the same mallard pair that used to come last year, but I suppose they could be?

Peanuts have been the big hit with the many flighted birds in my garden, even more than the black sunflower seeds they love. Pigeons perform extraordinary acrobatics trying to reach the nuts, they are rather handicapped by their short beaks and feet. They watch helplessly as jackdaws and magpies come flying in and pick peanuts without having to land:
 

Squirrels get in on the act too, of course, there are usually three helping themselves from both containers, fighting each other and delighting even my window-watching neighbours with their antics.

It was a lovely, sunny Sunday.  In the afternoon I refreshed the bedding in the duck hut and intended to do some more work filling the hole where the greenhouse had been.  

 

Rounding the corner of the garage I was surprised by a multitude of hen pheasants, at a rough count 16 took off in front of me with more, as well as two males, lurking on the fringes. I had thought they'd all moved on after I'd stopped putting dry food out in the afternoons, it seems they were just hanging around out of sight until food was put out eventually.

It really was very, very cold and I abandoned my gardening plans.  Instead I pursued my seven ducks with the camera:

 

 

 

 

 As I went into the house it started to snow, a thin, hard snow, and then the skies went very dark and the ducks thought it was bedtime - it was around half past 4!

 No, it didn't last, it got brighter again at 5, ducks were shut in at 10 to 6, and this morning it was white over with frost.