The criteria for the garden bird ticks is that they don’t have to be in the garden itself but I do have to see them from the property.
That was the case with the latest sighting for the year, as four mallard flew overhead late in the evening, as they made their way to roost.
It was quite dark and the only reason I was able to identify them is that they were calling in flight.
When we moved in to the house, the garden was nicely established with plants and shrubs. As a keen naturalist though, I’m interested to see what native wildflowers come through this year.
So far I’ve spotted snowdrop and daisy and I’m hoping that a few more will put in an appearance as the year moves on.
I was absolutely convinced that we’d have nesting birds this year, due to the fact that the garden is ideal.
A dunnock decided to nest in a shrub that grows against the kitchen wall. It’s really close to where we enter the garden when we go outside, and I did wonder if it would continue.
However, after the initial nest formation, it’s currently lining the structure with small feathers.
To round the month off, I spotted a goldfinch this morning feeding on teasel in the garden.
A short time later, my wife called me to say it was on the feeding station, eating sunflower hearts. Brilliant!