ECHO 24/12/05

Loving the garden here in Bishampton more and more. Putting seeds and nuts out and it rapidly grows alive, an energetic space. Blackbirds in teams, bobbing their heads on the lawn or the low walls, occasionally fighting with each other in brief bouts of possession; a pair of Magpies will parade and feed, their chests thrust proudly forward; Chaffinches flit down from the trees, grab what they can and depart whilst Robins wait patiently at the edge of the activity or peer out from the evergreens and spruce waiting for an opportune moment; Wood Pigeon and Collared Doves will venture down; and the Blue and Great Tits and Sparrows hang fire in the branches or take to the hanging feeders under the eaves, an occasional Starling joining their acrobatics. Finally, the bullying but eminently cute squirrels charge in, chasing the birds off as they devour the food and hide other morsels.