Really great to see photographs of a bird that has only just in recent years taken to wintering here, showing a survival techneque that helps it to do so. Now thats what I call real birdwatching!
Fifteen years ago in my garden in Hungerford i was delighted to find Blackcaps overwintering in numbers and both sexes. I have a picture of four together on a garden table feeding on boiled rice and peas! Our garden backed onto the gardens of the mainstreet that were large and mature, a really nice mixed habitat except for the overabundance of cats.
The Blackcaps also ate ivy berries as well as the holly berries I left out for them after Christmas. Despite having Mahonia in the garden I never saw them feeding from it but having seen Maurices pic's I wonder if they did. The Mahonia was in the front garden largely out of view so its quite possible.
I also saw the "otter" on Freemans way on Wednesday morning, Ray but it looked small to me. I was going to try and stop for a better look on the way back but the volume of traffic had risen by then an it looked flatter. From colour I guessed it was a mink rather than a polecat. Have to say I did not fancy risking my neck to get a better view, so you may well be right.
allthingsgood, cliff
