BIRDS

BIRDS

Just looking out of my window as I type I have a female Greater Spotted Woodpecker on the peanuts. The garden is full of birds - species count so far - 49 - not counting those flying over.

This picture of a heron hunting frogs is the last one I photographed. The spectacular bullfinches, especially the male, come and feed in the box stuck on the kitchen window as does one particular blue tit who hammers away at sunflower hearts on the small wooden perch. We sit in the other room and wonder what is making all that noise. There are three feeder sites with peanuts, sunflower hearts and mixed seed - one on each shed and one just outside the kitchen. In the garden are about eight nest boxes. I had to put metal plates on the holes of the tit boxes to stop the woodpecker getting at the chicks. At least two are occupied - great and blue tits - but, alas, the treecreeper/nuthatch box remains empty.

Today I have put in the last of the sweet pea seedlings grown in the cold frame and potted up six geranium plugs which arrived in the post.

Then I picked some of the gooseberries, thinning out the branches. The mildew seems to have mostly gone but now they are plagued by sawfly larvae! Leaves disappearing by the trugload.

The purple sprouting broccoli is on its last legs and needs to be moved to the compost heap - chopped to help it break down - and then the soil dug and topdressed with horse manure for another crop.

I have still avoided the strimmer but have clipped the long grass from around the banking trees and shrubs. Soon I will have to face getting the machine out - I hope it will start. (I think).