Fieldfares moving through

Out earlier than usual, mostly because I couldn't sleep, and glad of it. A loose flock of maybe forty came over just after eight, calling that dry chak-chak the whole way south. First proper arrival this year — a fortnight later than last autumn, for what that's worth, though I've stopped trying to draw conclusions from a sample size of two.

They didn't linger, which is usual for a first wave — the ones that stick around tend to arrive a week or two later once the weather properly turns and the hedgerows are worth stopping for. Still, nice to have the winter thrushes back. The garden always feels a bit more occupied once they're around, even if half of what I hear is just redwings sounding nervous in the dark.

Cold enough this morning that my breath was doing more than the birds were, honestly. Worth it for the light alone — that low, sideways gold that only shows up for about twenty minutes in November before the sun gives up and goes grey for the day.