Fieldfare

It was a beautiful cold, frosty but sunny morning, a lovely crisp winter day.

I spotted this handsome fieldfare round the corner from home this morning. I haven't seen one this winter so perhaps fewer than usual have arrived from Scandinavia. I sometimes get one in the garden in cold weather but haven't seen one there this year (or in flocks of mixed thrushes).  If a passer by hadn't frightened it away I'd have gone home for my long lens.  

later I went for a walk on Oswestry Racecourse which was even colder as it's higher up.  The pond was solid ice and the mud (lots of it) was frozen solid and difficult to walk on.  Everywhere looked beautiful though and the hills were white all over.

On my way home I called at F's for a coffee and a chat, it was good to hav a warm by his fire too!