I have had an over-wintering male blackcap on my feeder by my house (Aberystwyth) for the first time since April 2006. Before that there were always 2 or 3 quite regularly each winter since 1997 when I first started recording them. Local friends have had the same pattern. I don’t know why they have disappeared for the last two winters. Milder weather? Any ideas? There is a treecreeper which has discovered a climbing hydrangea just beside my window and it has turned up to feed there for several days now. Obviously they don’t just use big old trees.
Moira Convery