We had walked this route many times before meeting the mysterious figure we’d dubbed the Phantom Feeder, scatterer of birdseed along the former railway line. He’s been out early this morning; there’s fresh seed on a boulder halfway down the hill, attracting an appreciative flock of blue tits, great tits, dunnocks, chaffinches and a robin.
There’s no shortage of wild seeds and berries yet, but the instinct to lay down body fat before winter has drawn them to these deluxe easy pickings. It’s risky, though: kestrels hunt here. Only the coal tits seem cautious, flitting in to pick up seed then retreating into a hawthorn, too quick for my camera to capture, before returning for more.
