As I write this I am watching the very last episode of Springwatch and feeling just a little bit sad that its all just about to be over for another year. So I thought I would show you a few successes of our own.  We have been feeding the birds for well over a year now and have worked hard never to leave the bird feeders empty.  Years ago, many years ago, it was said that one should only feed the birds in the winter, but it was then found that what happened is the birds would breed near their food source and when it stopped the baby chicks would die.

We now have flocks of blue tits, coal tits and great tits, sparrows, starlings, pigeons, a robin, as well as a pair of birds that I shall tell you about in a few moments.

Firstly we’ve watched the darling juvenile blue tits around the feeders, here are a few piccies.  They have been wonderful to watch as they grow up.

But then we had a wonderful visitor and wondered if they would stay around. A pair of goldfinches, nesting.  How exciting is that. A pair of juveniles have been floating around as well, so we think this may well be their second nesting of the season. It is the greatest of treats to see them and they have gained in confidence, coming to the feeders while we sit in the garden.  Let me tell you the knitting stops when they visit and we both stare, transfixed for however long they stay, sometimes a good ten minutes while they fill their tiny tummies up with niger seed and sunflower hearts.