Partridges

Went for a late afternoon walk yesterday and was surprised to see up to thirty partridges rising from a field of rape. They were clearly about to settle to a communal roost. I only saw them in flight but assume them to be the red-legged variety and I can only hope some of them survive the shooting season to breed come the spring. Having previously only seen the group of five that habitually forage on the field in front of the house, I had not expected there to be more.
Lots of fieldfares and redwings feeding on the haws in the hedgerow behind the house.

Field of birds

With newly emerging green shoots of wheat, the field in front of the house is proving to be very attractive to the local birds. I regularly see large flocks (up to sixty individuals) of species such as, jackdaw, crow, feral pigeons. There are also, smaller flocks of skylarks and linnets(thirty birds); red legged partridge, pheasant, fieldfare and meadow pipit. It is quite astonishing that the should be such a large and varied source of food in just one field.
Redwings have now joined the fieldfares as our usual winter migrants.