After three weeks, the snow is almost gone — at last. The constant daytime thaw and night-time freeze made the paths outside the house and around the garden treacherous.

The 'usual' birds have been crowding around the feeders: blue tits, coal tits, great tits, house sparrows, chaffinches, robins and the occasional greenfinch. The cold weather and more varied seed feed has brought some new visitors: greedy blackbirds gobbling up chunks of apple, collared doves and a female pheasant looking for discarded corn and barley left by the little birds.

Update: Three weeks later and both male and female pheasant continue to visit
7/03 update: pheasants and woodpeckers are daily visitors