The Young Ones

Young birds are everywhere at the moment and, like so many children, their behaviour can leave much to be desired. The most strident of the noisy young demanders are the rooks: the poor parent in this picture looks utterly worn out.

The young jackdaws aren't much better, though they do seem more prepared to spend time looking after themselves. We've had a great deal of trouble with them poking their beaks into places in which they have no business, particularly the small birds' exclusive feeding areas, though we never begrudge them a drink of water.

Last year we didn't have any trouble from the blackbird family which nested near our garden but this year the blackbirds have been a pain. There are at least two families in the garden, the father of one being the pushiest blackbird parent I've ever come across: he comes very close when I go outside and demands food. The children are little better. This one achieved something no blackbird has done before: he got into my patent small-bird-only feeder.

While the house sparrows must take first place for fecundity, the tits also seem to have done well this year. This is a young coal tit which has discovered that the two peanut feeders round the front of the house are less crowded with sparrows than the many round the back, while....

....this young great tit is already showing enough of its species' innate belligerence to survive amongst the competing sparrow hoards.

The garden may have been crowded with robins during last winter but they have been conspicuously absent in the last few weeks. Now we have a new potential king of the garden, this very perky young robin who appeared the other day and who is. almost always around. We look forward to its company through next winter.

While I have a certain empathy for the corvid mums and dads I really feel for the shore birds like this ringed plover which can do precious little to protect its chicks which, as yet unable to fly, are running around somewhere near it on the beach. The young take a great deal of finding as they are so well camouflaged but sometimes....

....one is lucky.

And if you ever wondered what bullfinch chicks are fed on, here's your answer - if you can sort out the mass of insects in this proud parent's beak.