The male kestrel (pictured) perches on a fence post surrounded by snow lying deep and crisp and even. He stays for a while, motionless, then flies off, circles the meadow and suddenly stops, faces the gentle breeze and hovers several metres above the snow.

Then he gradually descends a metre at a time, almost as if he is suspended on a length of string, until, all of a sudden, he swoops. A moment's flurry in the snow and he emerges clutching a vole in his talons and flies back to the fence post to eat his prey.

Unlike many birds that may struggle in snow, kestrels can survive because as voles scurry along their pathways in the grass, their urine emits an ultra-violet light which amazingly kestrels can detect, follow the trail, then pounce.

The hunting technique employed by kestrels is in sharp contrast to that of the sparrowhawk which uses a smash and grab strategy.

On a recent frosty morning at first light I looked into the garden to see a small pile of feathers under a bird feeder. Close examination revealed they belonged to one of the many goldfinches which use the feeders. Clearly the little birds had alighted on the feeders, no doubt a little cold, and a sparrowhawk pounced and caught one. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the goldfinches avoided the feeders for some days after that!

Here's wishing all readers a happier Christmas and trouble-free new year.