This year’s packs of seasonal cards, designed by Tara Okon, are now available to pre-order in the shop.

Tara writes:

The original idea for these pieces came via one of my  Twitter followers. I couldn’t think of a design for a Christmas card and one of his suggestions was for a mixed winter feeding flock to include yellowhammer, reed bunting, corn bunting, and tree sparrow. Thank you Nigel!

Following on from this idea I thought it would be nice to have some more common birds that people could see in their garden. A mixed tit flock seemed ideal.

Two of my favourite birds to look out for at this time of year are the redwing and fieldfare that migrate to the UK from the north for the winter. I wanted to put these next to our resident thrushes, the song and the mistle thrush, so that people could spot the differences between them. Hopefully, more people will identify the redwing and fieldfare as a result of these cards.

Last but not least, the finch flock. This one is a mix of common and not so common finches. The brambling, with its beautiful burnt orange breast and white rump, is definitely one for everyone to keep an eye out for this winter. Like the redwing and fieldfare, it joins us from the north at this time of year looking for beech mast to feed on.

The cards are sold in packs of 4 (one card of each design) with 4 envelopes. They are printed on uncoated, recycled card and come in plastic-free packaging. Get yours here (£8 per pack).