Thursday January 12

After three days of leaving for work before dawn and returning after dusk I was keen to get out this morning. The early morning was cloudy, but rain began from late morning.

The trip to the paper shop produced very little, but I did finally get a chance to photograph a Goldcrest.

Goldcrest

I love Goldcrests, but they are so tiny and fast that they are a nightmare to capture on film.

After breakfast I set off on foot for Ipsley Alders, a Worcestershire Trust reserve just 800 yards from the house which, I'm ashamed to say, I haven't visited for about four years. On the walk along Alders Drive I heard and briefly saw a Treecreeper.

When I got to the reserve the rain was falling steadily, so I settled for some habitat photos.

and a token bird shot.

Chaffinch

I didn't see many birds; a couple of Jays, a few Goldfinches, and some Rooks for example. The place seemed asleep, but I am sure the wildlife will come into its own as the year develops.

Back home we were eating lunch when a Jay appeared in the Silver Maple beyond the garden. It looked to be on a mission, so I grabbed the camera. Sure enough it flew into our apple tree and presently arrived on the lawn where it dug up an acorn.

Jay

Presumably it had cached the acorn earlier in the autumn and had remembered where it was buried. It flew off immediately.