Forced onto the feeders

I'm just back in from my morning pre-work constitutional, which is to pull the wellies on and do a tour of the garden. It is my way of setting myself up for the day.

But it was rather nice to come back in after 15 minutes into the relative warmth and shelter of the house. We've had hard frosts now each night for over a week, and the ponds are frozen solid, the earth is hard underfoot, and the wind was certainly nipping around my extremities this morning.

I always find my brief ventures out on such days a powerful reminder of how tough it must be for garden birds. They don't get to enjoy any central heating, extra jumpers or fluffy slippers. Maybe getting tucked up for the night in a tangle of Ivy is about as good as it gets for them to escape the cold,

And then by day there is that hunt for food. Certainly, the frozen ground means that getting to the stash of acorns that the Jays buried barely a month ago is currently impossible.

It has forced them into a new behaviour in my garden - they've taken to the peanut feeder.

The feeder is one of the Squirrel Buster types that is designed to close under the weight of furry-tailed peanut-chompers, but Jays are light enough that the peanuts remain available.

It is a wonderful chance to admire what a fine looking bird the Jay is. The salmon, black and white general colour theme is rather splendid in itself, but then the azure brooch on each wing is a beautiful little addition. But I'm particularly fond of their inner tertials - those are the chestnut feathers you can just see at the base of the velvety wing feathers.

They are one of the birds that are more than happy to express their displeasure should I dare venture into their garden. Their screeching is one of the most discordant of all bird sounds, but I rather like it - it sounds like an avian expletive.

With the coming thaw, I expect the Jays to return to their acorning, heading with unerring accuracy to the many places where they buried their horde. But for now, I'm going to enjoy them up close, and feel even more attentive to my birds' needs during the winter.