Inquisitive Nuthatch

Carol and I went to Calke Abbey in the morning to try out the bird hide at the end of the car park. Myriads of tits and finches flocking to the bird feeders that are amply refuelled each day. It's best to go on a sunny morning. Shadows mask the site from lunch time onwards.

I've taken photos of the birds here before. I really wanted to see if I could spot the nuthatch. First of all, he popped into the cage  where the small birds go. I worked  out that he flew in from the left. Eventually, I was lucky enough to capture a few shots of him sitting on a twig but as you can see, he was already in shadow. 

I'm glad there were a few greenfinches about. They've been decimated in recent years. And there were a couple of birds I couldn't identify. See my collection in the extras. Also a fully grown stag and a cheeky squirrel.

After collecting William from school, Len and I drove into Leicester disembarking at Highcross where the Christmas lights were looking splendid. We all enjoyed terrific pizzas at Zizzi. Even me. Mine, of course, was gluten free topped off with a large glass of house red.