If its hard for us this cold weather spare a thought for wildlife

Its been almost a week now since the snow started falling here in Cambridgeshire a place where snow usually lasts a day or so if its lucky, I blame that on all the hot air generated in Cambridge by the way. Its also been over a week since I did any gardening work and earnt any money from that avenue of my working life.

But if its hard for us what is it like for wildlife, snow and ice means food is hard to find and you have to expend a lot of energy to find it. As for open water thats almost impossible unless like I saw the other day at Westwick Park there is a patch that something is keeping open, a spring or? and which the birds were flocking too. I dont doubt Mr Fox is also using it to slake his thirst while he does his carousing to attract a lady. Mind how any lady would find the noise they make attractive is beyond me but I am not a fox.

I know I feed the birds on a daily basis and know a lot of other people do as well. In this weather though I have upped the quantity and the amount I put out as well as spreading it about more in my garden to allow for squabbling Blackbirds and other members of the Thrush family to play out there domestic dramas. They always seem to scare everything else off  thrush or otherwise in there little spats, and spreading it about more works. One of the three males in the pairs using my garden at the moment can be seen below.

I have also got a female Reed Bunting coming in to complement the males I usually get in winter, she is undoubtedly being driven in by the easier pickings, a sign that its tough out there for wildlife as a whole. Then despite all the cold I see a Blue Tit prospecting in a nestbox in next doors garden. So it might be tough out there but the year is slowly moving on and other needs must be considered and addressed.