Death In The Snow

It didn’t take long into the New Year before the male Sparrowhawk struck in the garden. On the 4th of January, in the snow, he caught a Collared Dove and although I chased him off he returned after ten minutes to finish it off. It then took two hours of feeding before he was able to fly off with what was left of the carcass. I always feel bad about a kill in the garden but I suppose he has to survive Winter as well. To rub it in he returned in the afternoon looking for another meal!

The New Year started well with eighteen Fieldfares and fifty Redwings on Hopwood ,together with a Dipper on the stream. The day improved when I found seven Waxwings feeding on an apple tree at the bottom of Thornham Lane. The Fieldfare that had been present on these apples all Winter eventually chased them off but it was a good start to the year.

Today, the eighth, I found two other Waxwings feeding on rose hips along a hedgerow at Milnrow. Because of their size rose hips are the last resort and it will only be a matter of days before the Waxwings have moved out of the area.

On the fifth of January we had a record number of eighteen Blue TIts in the garden. Up to eight Long Tailed Tits have been coming daily along with the Willow Tit.