Today was one of those days. Following a heavy frost, a beautiful dawn broke with a clear blue sky. Taking my normal morning route, as I approached the fringe of the wood, all within my eye scope, could be seen a group of great tits, a jay, magpie and a green woodpecker. Later I came across a flock or charm of a dozen goldfinches. Then a small family party of bullfinches flew across my path and settled in the hedge. Surely the male bullfinch with its breast reflecting the sun's rays, has a greater claim than the robin, to be the bird of Christmas.
One curious sight in the woods was an array of fallen branches with the bark chewed away. This must have been done by rabbits, though I have only previously seen this behaviour when snow lies on the ground. It is possible that the density of rabbits is unusually high for the time of year (that is certainly my impression), so, although there appears to be plenty of grass around, some individuals may be being pushed to the edge of the normal territory and struggling to find sufficient food. Further evidence for this can be found in the tufts of fur that can be readily found in the fields. This represents the aftermath of rabbits fighting, and may well lead to the ejection of young or older bucks from the colony.
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