Wintry Titbits

Here's a snapshot of the past few days, birdwise (no great photography on display, just record shots)...

I was very happy (for me) but worried (for the birds) to see a stunning, solitary Redwing in the garden.  They have been visiting gardens in search of food during the particularly cold snap we've just had - something which wouldn't happen during our usually mild winters.  I shot this through a window, so it ain't great, but it might be the only time I get to see a Redwing from my window, so it's actually quite fitting :)

Next day, a bit more snow, and a mean-looking Rook in a tree:

The day after that, I hit Redesmere again, with no plan other than to go for a walk and see what was around.  We stopped a while to watch some Chaffinches.  I got a few shots of one bird which I wasn't sure was a chaffinch - it wasn't until I got home and blew the image up on the computer that I realised it was a Brambling!  Pleased with that, as it's the first time I've seen one of these Winter visitors.  A couple of poor quality record shots follow:

Speaking of poor quality shots, I took the following from miles away, as I couldn't identify the bird with my bins.  If anyone knows what it is, please let me know!  I thought it was a Bullfinch at first but not pink enough (click on photo for larger image)...

My next spot of birding took place near Preston, where I stayed at a friend's house.  We sat watching the birds coming to her feeding table, and taking shots through the window - which included this Blue Tit:

He was soon joined by a small group of Long-Tailed Tits, which my friend had never seen in her garden before - so had to record one for posterity:

Whilst walking along the River Ribble in Preston, spotted a group of several male and one female Goosanders way over on the other side of the swollen river, which was cool.

Later on, we came across a group of Redwing feeding in front of some houses - these are the best shots I've taken of Redwing to date:

And that, my friends, is it for tonight.  I've got a lot to do tomorrow, but hoping to squeeze in a short trip to Redesmere or similar.  And if I run out of time, I'll stick to the garden and see if anything interesting turns up :)