It has been a fairly quiet month both in the garden and on the river.

Our resident Blackbirds visit every day for their sultanas and have recently produced offspring one of which is pictured. Starlings have become regular visitors and are competing with the Blackies for the sultanas. We are seeing Siskins on a regular basis along with the odd Goldfinch, Great Tit and Blue Tit. Chaffinches and Wood Pigeons are also daily visitors, Greenfinches to a lesser extent.

The riverbank population of Dippers, Grey Wagtails and Goosanders have been supplemented by a pair of Oystercatchers which have taken up residence on an island in the river. I still see Kingfishers on a regular basis but getting decent photos remains a problem! Meanwhile the Mallards are producing ducklings in large quantities as usual though their numbers are greatly reduced by the large number of predators looking for an easy meal.