Small Bird News

We now have a seventeen-house building site next door so had fully expected that, despite the generous menu we offer them, the small birds would cease to visit. I'm pleased to report that diggers clanking, men shouting, rollers rolling and vibrating, and huge trucks dumping vast amounts of aggregate have made not the slightest difference to the way of life of some species. The sparrows continue to arrive in chattering flocks to clean out all the feeders....

....the chaffinches continue to be some of the most daring when it comes to experiments with new feeders, the dunnocks chase each other in and out of the shrubs....

....the tits visit as if nothing untoward is happening - the coal tits being encouraged by dedicated sunflower seed feeders - and....

....at least three robins are arguing over this prime piece of winter territory.

However, this list does mean we have lost some. The greenfinches haven't visited since the noise started, the blackbirds only occasionally come on to our lawn, we've seen a song thrush once since work began, and birds like goldfinches and woodpeckers are faded memories.