Its chilly here and the ground is covered and crunchy.

Food is thin on the ground and creatures need more calories to keep warm.

This is bringing birds that are usually wary of humans closer to the house.

This fine jay has been spotted foraging under the bird feeder and is battling for custody of the windfall apples with the local carrion crow, who sits in the tree posturing aggressively.

By and large jay defers to crow but sneaks back later.

Both hear the Raven up above, getting closer but still never coming to ground.

One regular is undeterred.

The Buzzards sit on the telegraph poles having removed the dead mouse from the patio, which I caught for him in my kitchen! Times are especially hard for him, and the fox as all the little mammals have gone to ground. We see the foxes prints prowling the edges of the fields but no rabbit tracks.

The one lonely fieldfare is not scared of the jay — there are plenty of fallen apples still.

But the little birds must beware!

The sparrowhawk visits daily and sits on the bird feeder — we know he’s there by the sudden eerie absence of everything else.