One of our three pairs of COMMON RAVEN year-ticked...

The garden is still a hive of activity at the moment with a good variety of species, all 5 of the common Thrushes are still feeding on Pyracantha berries with plenty to see them through the Arctic conditions. A newly erected bird feeder outside the living room window is attracting 3 Robins, a single Coal Tit with both Great and Blue Tit in good numbers. The stars of the show are definitely 2 Nuthatches which have been plucking sunflower hearts out of the feeders all day, both birds arrive at the same time with one taking food and the other sitting on the window sill waiting to feed and giving amazingly close views only inches away. A charm of 8 Goldfinches have found the feeder and spend more time arguing amongst themselves than they do feeding but again give fantastic views so close to the window, a few Greenfinch have also homed-in on the feeder and a male Siskin visited once early morning but hasn't been seen since. Both Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker have bee n seen around the garden as have 2 Jays, 2 Magpies, 5 Starlings and a few days ago I watched 4 Wrens disappearing into a hole in a Chestnut tree to roost. Worryingly I haven't seen or heard from either of our 2 regular Goldcrests for sometime.

I took a walk across the fields from Coleshill alongside Gore Hill and towards the Amersham Bypass late afternoon today, the hedgerows that usually hold good numbers of Tits and Finches were deserted and apart from a few Redwing and a solitary Fieldfare there was nothing about. A good thick layer of snow covering the landscape made traversing the hilly footpaths slow work and a quick stop to view the hills over Amersham and catch my breath enabled me to spot 2 COMMON RAVENS near the A355. I heard a "Kronking" call and looking east over the A355 I picked up a single Raven coming from the direction of Roger's Wood, it continued across the A355 and towards me being joined by another Raven that was sat in one of the pylons. As both birds met they interacted by calling and tumbling together before regaining height and then heading off South-West over Coleshill, the light was starting to fade so presumably they were heading off to roost (Ashley Stow)

We now have at least three pairs of Common Raven in the Amersham Recording Area - this species really is doing well.