Out and about

I made a proper start on my birding plan for 2011 today, with a long circular walk from home, through New Swannington, Swannington and Thringstone. There were still plenty of Redwings around, although rather fewer Fieldfares, but the real highlight was finding little groups of Tree Sparrows and Yellowhammers at a farm not half a mile from home. I've never seen either at this particular site before (although Yellowhammers are reasonably easy to find in some parts of Charnwood Forest), so I'll be keeping an eye on it as the year goes on to see if there are any signs of breeding.