Surprise visitor

Look who turned up in Family B's garden today! It's a red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) and spent a goodly while pecking around the area. Apparently, they belong to the pheasant family and (sad sigh!) are bred for game-shooting. I've never seen one before, but this one is welcome back any time, where it certainly won't be killed.

It snowed for a while this afternoon, but only stuck briefly. After the weekend, apparently, the wind will change direction and next week should be a little milder. Next weekend is the Big Birdwatch in the UK. It would be lovely if our handsome visitor returned then.