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Rain

Living near the top of a hill in the Chilterns flooding isn't much of an issue for me. The present spell of rain is clogging the feeders and means that I tread mud back into the house every time I top them up. It also means that pruning of my quinces keeps getting put off. At this rate it is going to be back to using an old fashioned saw if it isn't going to be safe to use power tools in the garden.

On the bird front the goldfinches seem to have moved on and I have seen very few greenfinches this winter. I have had a couple of house sparrows in the garden recently, and they are not the commonest of birds around here and also had a brief visit from a long tailed tit. The squirrels are becoming a serious problem and I think I will be ordering another baffle with my next batch of feed. I am wondering about covering the ground tray as a mesh small enough to keep the squirrels out will also keep out blackbirds, thrushes and pigeons.

I did hear a green woodpecker this morning. I haven't seen any woodpeckers in the garden since last spring and it is several years since I actually saw a green around here.

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