I’ve been spending a lot of time looking out of our kitchen window over the past week, keeping an eye on the birdfeeders in our garden (of which there are quite a few). This is something I do all year round, but particularly at this time of year: there are a baby birds around, and I like to watch them as they learn their way in the world. I also like to try to keep them safe by chasing away the neighbours’ cats!
A young blackbird appeared several weeks ago. He comes into the garden a lot during the day, and is usually accompanied by his father, who sits on a fence or other vantage point and keeps an eye on the young bird. I can actually see the father bird in the garden as I type this – it’s a damp morning, and that is keeping the cats away so there are plenty of birds pottering around out there.
We’ve also had young squirrels running around. There are some tall evergreen trees a few gardens over, and I’ve been watching the young squirrels practise their climbing skills by flinging themselves all around these trees, from top to bottom.
I’ve not seen young robins or great tits yet, but I have seen the adult birds making very regular trips to collect food from our birdfeeders, always returning to the direction they’ve arrived from – which makes me think they have a nest somewhere and hungry mouths to feed.
And as you can see from this picture, we do have baby starlings. These two little ones sat impatiently on the fence while the adults fetched them food from the feeder. A little later I caught a picture of one of the babies on the birdfeeder, feeding himself, which must make life a little easier for its parents. I was pleased that they hung around long enough for me to be able to take pictures showing the difference between the adults and their young.
What’s been happening in your garden – any new arrivals?