The message
from Josie contains these words:

This winter wasn't good for garden birds in SW London. Greenfinch and
Goldfinch numbers were down, no siskins, no sparrows, starlings became
rare and we hardly saw any chaffinches.

I wonder whether other gardeners in the area had the same experience.

Not in the area (in South Lincs). Here it's been quite busy with more
blackbirds than ever , the usual blue and great tits, greenfinches, some
goldfinches, chaffinches, dunnocks, wrens, collared doves, wood pigeons,
etc. We are lucky in having a lot of tree sparrows and they have kept up
a good presence through the winter - about eight on the grass near the
feeders this morning. They often outnumber the house sparrows. There's a
very noisy and aggressive mistle thrush around too.
The real change has been that I've had jays for most of the winter
though I haven't seen them for a week or two now and great spotted and
green woodpeckers. Also for a few days there were a lot of fieldfare
flocking down onto the apples I'd left under the Bramley. I think the
jays and woodpeckers are visiting because the trees are maturing and
they can now find acorns etc.

Lately also I seem to have been invaded by pheasants which roost in the
trees as night come on. If you walk round the garden, six or eight of
them fly off clumsily with a terrific racket, scaring all the other
birds.

Janet G