Slip sliding away

I was surprised to find how much compacted snow and ice has yet to thaw from the boardwalk when I walked across it today. It is thawing - the gentle drip, drip from the dipping platform into the half-thawed water of Scouts' Pond proves it, but only very slowly. So the message is, take it carefully if you're walking on the boardwalk. I hear that the forecast is for bitter weather and possibly snow to return by the end of the week, so no let-up is in sight.

The weather is beginning to bring some interesting birds to light however. Bullfinches are being regularly reported, and a little egret has been seen twice in the last three days. There was a flock of about 10 siskins flying round the common today, and a sparrowhawk was seen in an adjacent garden. Please let me know if you spot anything special.