Suddenly the large flocks of starlings have ceased to visit. The occasional singleton is turning up on the feeder but the same fat bar has been on the feeder for nearly three days and still isn't quite finished. The blackbirds are seem to be feeding chicks, the adults are paying regular visits to the starling feeder and leaving with well laden beaks. Today a female great spotted woodpecker has been turning up. I broke off typing this to watch her take a beakful away so there must be a chick nearby. She did seem very nervous, often landing on the fence near the feeder, looking around and flying off again. Earlier this week I took a trip to Gloucestershire and visited the Highnam Woods RSPB reserve. This is noted for nightingales but as I was there at noon that was one species that I didn't hear. Close to the A40 the daytime traffic noise is very intrusive but once you are away from the road the amount of bird song was striking as were the magnificent displays of wild flower...
Once upon a time you could find me birding on the Thames marshes almost every weekend through the winter. For various reasons I am now seldom able to travel to good birding sites. I am lucky, however, to live in the beautiful Chiltern Hills and this blog is to document the birds that I see on my own patch.