A robin on the rhus tree in the garden

I should have been doing other things this afternoon, but decided to go out with my camera to the cabin, something I haven't done for months. The weather forecast is for much colder weather and probably some snow fall, even this far south, and I've noticed that the birds are feeding as much as possible on the sunflower seeds in our feeder on the rhus tree.

I went and actually sat in the patio and was granted a bonus of sunlight breaking through the cloud cover as it began to set behind Rodborough Common towards the south-west. I was only there for about thirty minutes but had a great time, enjoying abundant bird chatter and constant flights around the back garden and the fields behind us.

I saw at least twenty goldfinches swarming in a 'charm' between the tops of the big ash and sycamore trees at the end of the garden. several blackbirds popped up briefly but my presence scared them off. A jay flew up and down the back gardens in short hauls from tree to tree, but always elusively. Countless tits flew back and forth and were the most avid feeders.  A greenfinch also came to join in but didn't get as far as the feeder, again probably because I was nearby.  

But as always it was the robins who were the most attentive and least scared of me, although I could only get pictures of them on the tree close to the feeder. They are still learning how to eat from the feeders as their claws are not as suited to gripping the metal stays or the mesh as the finches, nuthatches and tits. The blackbird also has a hard time poking its beak into the receptacle, but they do try. I must admit that I really enjoyed being able to watch them closely with time on my side.