[Rob the rake]

My resident allotment robin has become seriously tame. Although I've yet to persuade it to take food from the hand it will dart down to snatch small worms flicked just a few feet in front of me, before taking up its nearby perch again.

We seem to have come to some sort of arrangement. Robin appears whenever I turn over more than a thimbleful of earth and announces its arrival with a flurry of wings and a small chirrup. I voice a softly-spoken hello and it takes up station, with cocked head, on the far side of the bed under cultivation. If it's feeling particularly brave it'll take small wrigglers from virtually under my nose, but generally it will move to a bush or fence just a few feet away and sing loudly as my cue to go into the greenhouse out of its way while it does the robin equivalent of the Lambada up and down the dug patch of ground. Once it's had its fill and flown off, I'm allowed out again to dig some more and the process is then repeated as often as the bird thinks is necessary. It's a lovely experience!

[jezza]

Hello has any one seen a Swallow yet they are usually around our house 19th April not seen any yet ,I've got a Wren nesting in a wicker basket 8 feet from the back door,haven't seen the bull finch this year since the nesting areas been bulldozed and built on ,Robin's nesting in next doors log pile it's very friendly it perches on your shoulder when kneeling down weeding,and we call him William has he has a white w between the red and brown ,we have a black bird loves chocolate digestive  buiscuits he's  just trying chocolate hobnobs wont look at them if they havent been dunked in tea   jezza

[Subversive_plot]

I saw the first ruby-throated hummingbird of the season at our feeder today!  It's a little later than usual.  Maybe because it's been a cool spring so far this year?

[Kleftiwallah]

I thought I saw a swallow/housmartin/swift but it turned out to be a rook practising aerobatics!  As Father Ted says "These are small, but those are faaar away!

Cheers,  Tony.

P.S.  Poseaur chefs cooking carrots - do you eat the green stalks ? ? ?

[Glosterboy]

I saw my first of the season Barn Swallow on the 28/04. All expected species of the hirundines family are here now. And some have already started new broods. I've included a photo of the Blue Tit family (taken this morning). The box attached to my garden shed. Both adult birds are working frantically feeding their brood. Another week perhaps? They should have fledged. A couple of weeks ago I counted 10 eggs. I can now only count 5 mouths!!!!   

[Glosterboy]

An update of the Blue Tit chicks. Photo included taken today. Certainly mark changes of both size and colour compared to only 4/5 days ago. Thankfully this warm sunny weather with no rain, no good for us gardeners, ideal conditions for chick food. I think I can detect a 6th mouth at the back??? My records indicate as per the recent news, birds are definitely breeding earlier. 2 weeks earlier with this current Blue Tit brood.

[Rob the rake]

I seem to have a new friend on the plot, even bolder than the robins.

Barry blackbird has become very tame, often working the chipping path on one side of a bed as I work on the other, but he's surpassed himself the last couple of days. I'll often sit on my little wicker stool in the back of the big greenhouse, contemplating the meaning of life. Yesterday there was a rattle on the door bar and Barry came in, poking his head round the corner of the island bed and giving me the eye. He retreated and I assumed he'd leave, but instead came up the other side of the bed, working the chipping path and gobbling any goodies. He then came round to my side and repeated the process, getting within half a yard of my feet before taking fright and legging it. Today he was already in there when I went for a sit down, hiding 'neath the stool! I took pictures of him which I'll post if I ever work out how to. Can anyone suggest a useful editing tool for reducing photo file sizes, or is it possible to link directly these days?

[Glosterboy]

Can anyone suggest a useful editing tool for reducing photo file sizes, or is it possible to link directly these days?

Obviously I don't know what ways and means you have for taking photos? But me? I use an Android smartphone to take photo. Send photo from my smartphone via my hotmail email address to my hotmail email address. To enable access to photo from other devices. Prior to sending I'm prompted to "select compression size"? KBs or MBs? I don't have any editing tool(s). Hope this helps?

[Rob the rake]

Driving home from the lottie at dusk along a lovely country lane I found myself, for just a few glorious moments, gliding alongside a barn owl which was skimming the adjacent hedge mere feet away. What a magnificent bird and a wonderful experience. It's times like these when I wish for the eloquence of a master wordsmith to convey the beauty of it. Had a lump in my throat...

[Rob the rake]

Blackbirds nesting in thick ivy covering the fence about 6 feet from our patio doors. Mrs B in and out like a fiddler's elbow with beak full of nesting materials. Last year we didn't clock the nesting site but got to watch the fledglings being taught on the lawn and the feeders. One of them - as fat as butter - refused to leave home and sulked mightily when mum and dad wouldn't feed it any more. Threw itself to the ground with wings half spread and kept sneaking a look to where the parents were helping themselves to a scoff to see if they'd noticed! The baby robins were beautiful and fearless; the blue tits unbearably cute! Hoping for goldie babies this year - with 16 feeders in use on 4 poles it's not uncommon to have ten or more goldfinches on the feeders with the same number queueing up for a go. Squabbles are commonplace! Lots of greenfinches this year, so hoping to see some chicks. I bet they're gorgeous.

[Glosterboy]

An update of the Blue Tit chicks. This morning they've all gone. So, a successful brood. Brilliant. Unfortunately I didn't witness the exodus. So, no photo evidence. The 2016 brood I did manage to see and record. I've included a photo of one of the chicks. I would like to think him/her are related in some way to this current brood. The photo was taken on the 6th June. A good 2 weeks later than the current brood.

[mrs bouquet]

Two wood pigeons have been trying to build a nest in a Photinia tree.  She sits there and he flies in with twigs bigger than he is.  She moves and the twigs fall to the ground.  I pick them up all day and leave them together, then he picks them up and off we go again.  Just now I see she is sitting in the little tree and he is sitting beside her give her a little kiss.  I talk to them and they are very tame now and quite sweet.  Mrs Bouquet

[snowdrops]

Spotted a wren flitting around the garden this morning which was nice to see, hope there’s a nest somewhere or thereabouts like last year. Then this afternoon spotted about 5 swifts (I think) swooping around, not seen them over the garden before.

[DanielCoffey]

Looks like it was Mother and Daughter day today. The little one was very timid but mum was making reassuring noises. Since I stayed still she came forward and had a look at what mum was eating.

[Hampshire Hog]

Interesting sight last evening just filling my watering can at home when I heard an unusual cry. Looked up at the top of a very large tree on the railway embankment behind my neighbours house. Sitting there on a branch was a Red Kite, just as I was thinking about fetching my camera it swooped down and off it went. Just amazing to see one at rest rather than just circling looking for prey.