January Birds?

It started snowing last night and rarely enough, we still have it today. A bit had melted by this evening, but it is meant to get below freezing, so it will get a bit treacherous. I am glad I am done running round in cars! I have a few places to go this weekend, but those are within walking distance.
Here is one of my friendly blackbirds enjoying a top up under the feeder. (The starlings toss it out every which way).

I love blackbird song. They actually start singing very lovely songs towards the end of the old year and beginning of the new. When I visited here the first time in 1981, I didn't know who was singing, but loved the song. I called them "January Birds". This one comes to make a nest in my ivy each spring! Along with the Robin who was visiting today and the Great Tit who makes a nest in the box outside my studio window.

You can listen to some of their songs here. I also get Collared Doves and Wood Pigeons; usually they are the ones who clean up after the starlings. At times I get Chaffinches...but not winter. There are some mistletoe balls in the Maple behind the fence. One year a group of Mistle Thrushes came, picked the ball clean and then flew off to one of the other many trees round this area with mistletoe.

and later today, as I was watching, I saw a starling on a bush who seemed to be cocking his head back and forth to watch something. I caught a movement on the ground...a little mouse quickly ran out from under the shed to the left grabbed a seed and ran back! He had really cute sticking up ears. I hope he stays safe. The magpie has been hanging around looking for his own snack.