The first month of "Off Season" didn't allow me to make many random observations. With most days providing nothing but fog and the first snow immediately melting away, the grounds remained too muddy and wet to walk.
This is not to say that nothing was noticed at all. Magpies, which were almost completely absent during this year, are seeing an impressive recovery from the usutu virus (USUV) that made its rounds across Germany this year. Blackbirds, which surprisingly were less affected by it and thus did not disappear until halfway through summer, are starting to appear again, albeit at significantly lower numbers. The common kestrel, on the other hand, remains absent since at least August.