The snow is still here, we’re getting a bit fed up with it, but it does make a pretty picture. Everything looks as though it’s covered in royal icing.
The field across the road is sparkling in the sun this morning – click on photo to see the sparkles:
D has been feeding the birds every day, topping up the feeders. We had lots of visitors, including robins, bluetits, great tits, greenfinches, goldfinches chaffinches, sparrows, wood pigeons and a woodpecker too.
We can identify most of the birds but this one has us puzzled. What is it?
It appeared on the decking where D had put a tray of birdseed and ventured very close to the patio doors. I tried several times to get a good photo and this is the best I could do.
Here it is enlarged:
We’ve checked in the RSPB Charts and our bird books – A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe, the Reader’s Digest Field Guide to the Birds of Britain, and Collins Bird Guide, but I’m not sure if I can identify it. Is it a meadow pipit?
Just look at that stare?
BooksPlease 
My first guess was a Skylark, but the dark bib doesn’t fit. Maybe some subspecies or winter plumage?
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Margaret – What lovely ‘photos! I think the one of the sparking snow is so beautiful. I have to say, I very much miss snow..
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Tentatively, because I haven’t got any bird books to hand, I think it might be a reed bunting…
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Thanks, GC – it looks quite a lot like the photos of a reed bunting in our bird books. I always find it so difficult identifying birds from the books!.
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What a beautiful scene! I’m very bad with bird identification – I have all sorts of bird books, but those darn birds have so many phases of coloration!
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It’s not a mistlethrush is it?
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I would have thought a skylark too but none the less it is pretty and the snow is breathtaking.
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I looked up reed bunting in my (admittedly rather elderly and unillustrated) Birds in Northumbria and it said “common breeding resident, well represented on passage”. And this site shows a picture which looks not unlike, I think? http://www.rspbliverpool.org.uk/top%2050%20garden%20birds.htm
(Sorry if you get this more than once, I couldn’t get it to work…)
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Thanks, GC – only just read your reply because for some unknown reason it had gone in the spam! And I got it three times!!! That’s a very interesting and helpful website. The habitat describes our garden very well – wet vegetation! It’s been wet all year!
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I don’t know but it sure is a cutie.
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I’m not good at identifying birds…my mother used to be…
Lovely photos, though. Picturesque….
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Please, what size is he–like a junco or a robin or warbler or raven size and what does that beak look like–pointed, finch like? I love a challenge. He looks like a sparrow to me.
Barbara
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My first thought was that it was some kind of thrush, but am not sure what kind. Unusual head markings.
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Sorry can’t help with the bird i.d. but the images are beautiful. We just have heavy frost and fog here, and we’re due rain tomorrow, not good for photography! By the way just found out Patrick Stewart’s Macbeth is on BBC4 this Sunday…
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Hi Margaret,
I’m a keen bird watcher and can confirm your previous guess, it is a reed bunting. Quite a nice sighting in your garden, do you have any ponds or lakes nearby?
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Thanks, Des. We have a little stream running through the garden and there is an overgrown area next to the stream where reeds grow. We’ve never seen this bird before – it’s quite striking.
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I first thought it was a very angry sparrow with a huge white mustache! I’m not familiar with birds of England so this has been educational to this birdwatcher. The snow here was light and fluffy so it has blown off the trees, but we’re supposed to have a storm Sunday.
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I believe that it is a Savannah Sparrow. Don’t know if it is the same name in the UK as in the USA. It could also be Song Sparrow as it is a bit hard to tell. Beautiful snow you are having.
http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&rls=p%2Ccom.microsoft%3Aen-us%3AIE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADFA_en&biw=1028&bih=525&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=savannah+sparrow&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g-s1g-msx1&aql=f&oq=&gs_rfai=
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I suspect your mystery bird might be a fieldfare. I believe they’re usually residents of Scandinavia, but have been coming over here because of our much colder winters these past few years. We had one turn up in our garden last year. The RSPB has a note on them here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/f/fieldfare/index.aspx
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S/he does look annoyed, doesn’t s/he? That’s such a grumpy face! :) We have a great book for bird identification which leads you through like a flow chart and I’d tell you what it’s called like a shot, if I could find the blooming thing! It’s on a bookcase somewhere…
Lovely photos, anyway! :) But I’ve gone off the actual experience of snow…
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