As I stepped outside to go and feed the birds, I felt a chill in the air. Jack Frost had definitely arrived, marking the beginning of a cold spell. Snow is actually forecast for later tonight. Whether it will arrive or not is a different matter. In the meantime, I had to be careful where I put my feet, as it was quite icy underfoot.

Upon reaching the ponds, I noticed that last year's cygnets were mingling with the other birds.

Cygnets often remain with their parents for several months. These two left the nest and have now made a return.

As I stood by the water's edge, I saw that some of the pond had frozen over. The frozen surface presented a challenge for the birds. Their usual food sources become scarce. The birds rely on unfrozen areas to feed and drink. Even the gulls that are typically hardy and adaptable need to drink water daily.

As I walked down to the second pond, I was accompanied by a noisy group of gulls. These birds have an ability to recognise whenever I had bread, and their anticipation was obvious as they followed closely behind me. Gulls, have good eyesight, and often dominate other birds when there's food about. Not many people attract a flock of gulls during a walk unless they're at the seaside!

Down at the pond, it became a bit of a feeding frenzy with the gulls again divebombing the other birds to get to the food first. I made sure they all got some, though.

We've had a visiting heron down at the pond for the last couple of days. S/he hardly moved a muscle, just stood silently waiting for unsuspecting fish or other creatures to come nearby.

I couldn’t get too close, though, as it would have flown off. I will return tomorrow, hopefully in the snow.