Martletwy this morning; Pembroke Millpond this afternoon

Although the thaw had started, numbers of birds visiting our garden this morning to feed were still quite high. Bramblings regularly pass over us in winter, but rarely land. One feeding on the still snow-covered lawn (with numerous chaffinches) was the first one we've actually seen in the garden since 2010 (the last time we had an appreciable amount of snow in the garden). There were no greenfinches though - they used to be one of the commonest finches in our garden in winter!

Lapwings and snipe were flying over during the morning - many heading towards various roadside verges and ditches to feed where the softer ground was gradually becoming clear of snow. On the way to Pembroke this afternoon there were dozens feeding alongside the road between Martletwy and Milton. The local red kite was also out hunting including over our garden this morning. We've been surprised at the general lack of raptors hunting over our area in the last few days.

Redwings (as reported by many others) were more or less everywhere we went this afternoon, feeding in ditches and on roadside verges etc. They were very numerous around Pembroke Millpond and on the shrubby slopes around the Castle ramparts. Numbers of them being far higher than we are used to seeing in autumn/early winter.

The well-reported and reasonably photogenic Iceland gull was still on the Millpond. This probably being the bird that initially spent part of the early winter in the Carew Millpond/Milton area.