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yes that's how i know they in the garden just put the morning ration of mealworms so they will back soon the blue tits have finally left the box this morning i managed to seen the last two go John

tonight we have 12 starling fledglings lined up on the garage roof demanding to be fed John

our blue tits are doing there best to get the chicks to to fly the nest this morning sitting on the bush opposite the box with food shouting to them then going in to feed them when they don't come out John

some from our local pond Canada goose by john brace, on Flickr mallard duck by john brace, on Flickr mallard duck by john brace, on Flickr Canada goose by john brace, on Flickr

some pics of our garden visitors goldfinch by john brace, on Flickr magpie by john brace, on Flickr Feral Pigeon or rock Dove by john brace, on Flickr starling by john brace, on Flickr blue tit by john brace, on Flickr blackbird by john brace, on Flickr

just had a female blackbird on the suet feeder never seen that before i think the blue tits in our box has 10 chicks it started hacking at the suet block taking bits in to the nest box did this ten times then went back to to looking for insects today we also have had goldfinch green finch siskin robin starling sparrow magpie feral and wood pigeon John

green finches and siskins back today for the first time in a couple of weeks the male siskin was looking beautiful bright yellow John

some more of mine 37359 by john brace, on Flickr 37403 by john brace, on Flickr with a bit of a dipping nose 37414 by john brace, on Flickr 37415 by john brace, on Flickr 37417 by john brace, on Flickr

our blue tits are very busy feeding the young blue tit by john brace, on Flickr

i had something in November that had very similar symptoms to covid 19 but the doctor put it down to chest infection

i have berberis in the front garden you could use the thorns as needles i have plastic anti cat spikes on the top of all my fence do's not stop the cats but make it impossible to clime over the fence i found this out when i locked my self out John

to give you some idea of the changes made to the garden this is what i started with in 2007 some tidying up work had already been done before i took these photos this now the veg plot back garden by john brace, on Flickr main part of the back garden to give you some idea how bad it was the paved area was completely hidden under soil and leaf litter back garden by john brace, on Flickr back garden by john brace, on Flickr front garden front garden by john brace, on Flickr front garden by john brace, on Flickr front garden by john brace, on Flickr

seen my first house martin of the year John

looking at the caterpillars been taken into the nest box we have chicks John

i guess that would depend on how visible it was from the outside on how well it would work John

it works as well i used it on my kitchen window after a couple of bird strikes and on problems since John

the sides are left wide open and we have foxes in the area he do's have rats under there as they where coming in to my garden and on to the feeders but a squirrel baffle and a bit of concrete in the gap between the patio and the fence they where digging under stopped that

i have had a complaint from next that the birds are throwing the contents of his ash tray all over his decking my reply was to ether empty it or take it inside his reply was oh ok i don't think he likes nature as he has decked over half the garden and the rest is now plastic grass and last summer he complained the flowers in my garden where attracting bees John

some more of mine 37298 by john brace, on Flickr 37304 by john brace, on Flickr 37358 by john brace, on Flickr 37358 by john brace, on Flickr 37359 by john brace, on Flickr

i put out mealworms 3 times a day i go out at dinner time to 4 starlings sitting on the fence waiting for me as so as i turned my back they dived in most gone by the time i got to the back door John

back in the back garden the area between the feeders and the pond was lawn but i dug this up and put some spare slabs under the feeders before and after pictures garden by john brace, on Flickr garden by john brace, on Flickr plants from left to right helleborus double queen mixed behind that just starting to come up is a hardy geranium and a peony in front of that then a large bay tree and gooseberry bush under the feeders are pyracantha centaurea and a salvia with a rosemary and weigela at the back this morning i noticed that some of the holes in the bee hotel have been filled in in the last couple of days

some more of mine 37378 by john brace, on Flickr 217 must have been on of the last in blue livery 37217 by john brace, on Flickr 37244 by john brace, on Flickr 37255 by john brace, on Flickr 37262 by john brace, on Flickr

the front garden is already quit wildlife friendly front garden by john brace, on Flickr from left to right spiraea snow mound gets lots of small white flowers loved by insects pittosporum tenuifolium get to odd bird using it to roost in forsythia flowers early to get a prune in the next couple of days they is also a small Pieris that is not in very good health and next to that a small peony front garden by john brace, on Flickr from left to right Crocosmia or more commonly known as montbretia. berberis media red jewel in the back corner with euonymus silver queen in front the Berberis get berries the the birds like Mahonia charity flowers late on the other side of the garden is a large hydrangea FRONT GARDEN by john brace, on Flickr now last September Clare said she was tired of the hydrangea and could we replace it so out it came the branches have been cut up and left in place as a home for insects front garden by john brace, on Flickr

a stupid pigeon has just fallen in to the pond the water level is a bit low due to me not topping it up he bent over to drink kept going overbalanced and went splash n ow have a pound full of oil and feathers John