I've been off work now for several weeks and have not got out much but the Rangers keep me up to date and I frequently check the Paxton website and Cambridge Bird Club for sightings.
My sister-in-law just arrived from Amsterdam to tell me that the geese are back on the Polders after leaving during December. That explains all the white fronts and pinkfeet seen inland here. Most of the smew that we see are also from Holland where they are called nonnetjes; little nuns.
On another domestic note; the birdsong just gets better and better. Our song-thrush is singing his heart out and there are dunnocks, robins and great tits singing too.
Looking round the garden I see many signs of spring. There's a fine show of "lamb's tails" and little green shoots all over the ground. A lot of these originate from our bird feeders, especially the niger seed which we put out for our goldfinches. Real gardeners would despair, but our yard is pretty wild anyway, so you wouldn't notice.
I checked on the snowdrops at Anglesey Abbey where they are just starting to flower, but mine are just poking up at the moment.
The photo was taken with a really cheap, retro camera that produces scratchy looking prints, like an old Polaroid. It's not a real camera, but an application called "Hipstamatic" on my iPod.
