New years day.
I really look forward to starting a new year list. It starts the moment I open the curtains on Jan 1st.
It's usually a robin but this year it was a female chaffinch. All the usual garden birds at the feeder before I venture out. 5th bird listed this year was a collared dove and it was nest building!
As soon as I reached the garage, heading towards the back fields I heard an awful row that could only mean there was a predator was about.

On reaching the gate I could see several blackbirds mobbing around a single leylandii tree. The tree is only about 12 feet tall but it is the only tree providing cover in winter apart from some nearby ivy.

The tawny owl hiding in this sparse cover was being mobbed by no less than -

7 Blackbirds
3 Song thrushes
1 Mistle thrush
1 Redwing
1 male Bullfinch
1 male Greenfinch
1 Magpie
2 female Chaffinches

Nice way to boost my yearlist!

After adding a nice pair of singing treecreepers. I finished the day with 29 species on my list.