I wouldn’t normally describe hanging out the washing as an enjoyable activity, but today it produced some unexpected delights. Despite me standing in the middle of the garden with billowing towels around me, the birds seemed unperturbed, and were intent on continuing their mid-morning forage.
I put an old apple out a little earlier, which the blackbirds, and occasionally, the dunnock, were tucking into, and the great and blue tits were singing loudly in the lilac tree. With the flurry of activity around me, I decided to sit out there for a while to see who else was about.
The blackbirds continued to feast on the apple, and to my surprise, a third blackbird joined them – a fledging. At first glance, I thought it was another female, but soon caught a glimpse of its large, wide, yellow bill which it presented to its parents together with an excited flutter of the wings. After having a large quantity of apple stuffed into its bill it hopped up into a nearby bush to await more.
Next to make a surprise appearance was a goldfinch who sat on the bench at the top of the garden, before hopping down to pick off some seeds. It was then joined by another and they systematically moved around the garden. This is the first time I’ve seen goldfinches in our garden, and to be able to watch them for so long was a real treat.
To finish it all off, I finally saw the great tit pop into the hole in the wall. A couple of weeks ago we saw them go in and out a couple of times, but having not seen them again, guessed they’d found a better nesting site. Looking forward to seeing the chicks when they emerge.
