In truth it was exhilarating to be back with the wildlife that has no other option than to get on with such weather, as the search for food uses up most of the meagre amount of daylight hours at this time of the year.

Such searching creates a restless sprit of flight-alight-feed and move on especially in the flock of linnets which soon came into view as I set off on my wander.

These birds, as with the Day 2 bird the house sparrow, are also, sadly, on the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List, but today’s sighting for me was not a time to dwell on such matters, especially as this flock was of quite a sizable number (at least 180). It was mesmerising to watch as the flock ebbed and flowed about this field which had been recently harvested for potatoes.

My first count gave just 65 birds and not because I hadn’t quite got my maths head on when I first saw them. It is typical that others came from goodness-knows-where to swell their ranks. With these other small flocks joining the original birds to feed on the seeds of burdock.

The weedy fields near my childhood home always had a good smattering of these plants. The seed heads were great for a simple game in which my friends and I tried to plaster one another’s woolly jumpers with as many of these “sticky Bobs” as possible, the number growing by the throw.

Returning to the linnet it always fascinates me that when more birds wish to join the existing flock all birds take to the air until the newbies attach themselves. It’s as if they had been cast onto an invisible woolly jumper in the sky.