It's difficult to count robins as they all look the same but we think we have three which inhabit our garden and, judging by the way they chase each other around, or don't, there are two males and one female.
They're feisty little birds, quite willing to take on other species, and our ones are also....
....intelligent enough to learn to adapt as I challenge the birds with new types of feeder. There was a time when the robins couldn't cling on to ones like this.
The blue tits, of course, have no such difficulties, and quickly work out how to exploit new feeders. This is one of the latest inventions, made out of a vitamin pill container and designed to be exclusive to the tit family while keeping the sunflower seeds dry.
The blue tits are still the most common bird in the garden, a statement which I never believed I would write. We counted thirteen at one time one lunchtime a few days ago. The usual contender for this accolade is, of course, the house sparrow but we now see dismally very few of them.
As with the robins, there are plenty of blackbirds chasing each other around at the moment and, like the robins, it's difficult to tell them apart but we estimate we have at least two pairs visiting us.
The males are in their mating gear but the females' drab appearance isn't quite what it looks. Have a close look at this lady: brown she may be but she's very pretty.
Happily, at least one pair of greenfinches are back at the feeders, aggressive as ever.
Here's the female and....
....this is the male. Both of them love peanuts.
On the larger size, we've been watching a pair of buzzards wheeling and calling above Dunrobin Woods, so they've started their mating cycle. We also have a 90% certain identification of our first golden eagle since being on this side of Scotland, which caused consternation amongst the gulls feeding on the adjacent playing field as it flew over the house. Sadly it passed over so quickly I didn't have time to reach the camera.
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