Crossbills turn up

Not for the first time a small flock of 10 Crossbills were touring our hill this morning moving from pine belt to pine belt.  This is not the first time I have seen them here but they normally appear after June.  At the latter time I assume these are birds which have already bred and are wandering in search of food.

This time of the year often sees Crossbills already sitting on eggs so their appearance now is something of a surprise.

After night time gales it has been a wonderful mild day here and I heard at least one Great Tit singing loudly.  Spring comes early to this part of Europe and resident birds can often be nesting by the end of February.