Just a Linnet!

A huge flock of 100 linnets have come across to the trees at the end of our gardens for two days now.  The male pheasant brought 4 females today, they feed underneath the bird table and feeders, scratching at the snow with their feet to find the seeds that have fallen.

It has snowed all day today and we went out in the afternoon up onto the heath, where lots of people were out having great fun sledging down the hills.  We walked along the path towards Therfield, and all around lay a monochrome landscape of white snowy fields and black vegetation, except where the ginger stubble poked though the snow.  I used my walking poles and tried some Nordic walking - they were very helpful.  We saw filedfares again, and two redpolls in the same place as before.  Some of the sheep had been left in the top field, restrained by an electric fence.  Hares stood out like large dots in the fields until they looked up, showing off their long ears.  Smaller dots were partridges.  We decided to walk until 4pm before turning back and at that exact time we saw a tiny goldcrest, not 3 yards from us, low down, searching for food on the bark of the trees, where we could easily see the yellow stripe on its little head.

We walked back against a slightly stronger wind with the snow in our faces, and returned down Briary Lane as dusk fell, along with happy sledgers.

View and path towards the heath looking north

View and path (Icknield Way) towards Therfield
looking south