Swifts playing

Many delightful “little” happenings take place in the garden. All by themselves. Nature at “play” so to speak.

All you have to do is keep paying attention.

We were watching (from the hammock) a dozen or so tiny swifts lined up in a row on the electricity (high) wire; one by one on cue they dived off like little kids into the pools of air, splashing about with the wind as if it were water. I tried taking pics, but too late – they’d finished, were done, already gone.

So no pictures to show (you)

Their “show” only lasted about 10 minutes.

You could have easily missed it.

Being busy. Or preoccupied. Or not bothered.

To quietly marvel at it all.

Where’s all the birds?

More ecology and “green” stuff.

(Cus the garden is just doing its stuff at the moment. Greening like mad)

Garden birds are on the fall. Read this to find out how much.

Sparrows and starlings are falling sharply.

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch say “Birds in gardens have fallen by a fifth since 2004″.

What doesn’t suprise me tho is the rise in wood pigeons. Up by – get this – 665%! The little bleeders. A 665% increase!

They’re ubiquitous. Everywhere, “Coo coo cu, cu coo” ing their dull plaintive way into the back end of your brain at the back end of your garden.

Anyway, I’m not gonna go off on one about them. Honest George!

I’m making them my friends. Giving them names (the one that wakes me up every morning on the dot of half 7 is called Freddy – bless his little cotton socks)

I wonder what birds we’ve got visiting Lust End?

Hopefully some sparrows and starlings and siskins.

We’ll keep a look out and have digi’s at the ready.

(But those jackdaws making a racket down the chimney can get lost!)

(says George)

Yellowhammer summerfella

“Seeing a yellowhammer is the first sign of summer”

The males have a bright yellow head and underparts (or possibly underpants)

This is a male.

Georg saw them in Jenny’s garden. Don’t know if they wanna come up to ours.

Apparently their high pitched song is the well known “little bit of bread and no cheese”.

Find out more about them here. There’s a recording of their song (but it’s crap)