Garden visitors galore!

Around 8 o'clock this morning I heard the familiar harsh grating "chuck chuck chuck" cry of a Grey Squirrel, only the third I have seen in the garden (3 times too many!) and I went out to investigate and saw it perched on the back fence, it ran off next door when our cat came out to chase it off, hurrah!

Cleo, our cat, is very well trained she doesn't catch birds but chases off Grey Squirrels!

In the evening, at around 6pm when it started to rain, a whole horde of Blue Tits of around 15 in total, were very active feeding on the insects on the honeysuckle just outside the conservatory and by the holly bush in front of the kitchen window and all over the garden. They were joined by around 5 Great Tits.

But I was delighted to add a new species to the garden list, a fine male Lesser Whitethroat that was seen in the Copper Beech at the back, it later reappeared and I managed to obtain a record shot of it. We also managed to see a fine Song Thrush our first in the garden since the very cold spell during the wintry weather and encouragingly a brief glimpse of a young Song Thrush on the apex of the garage roof. Plus 2 Blackbirds, 1 female and i juvenile bird. Not to be outdone a very obliging male Whitethroat fed on the honeysuckle right by the conservatory and was phot'd in very poor light (it was raining) Why so much activity? I can only assume the rain had driven some insects out as the garden was alive with avian visitors and forced down the migrant Lesser Whitethroat.

It also helps our neighbours are on holiday and thankfully they have taken their two very noisy children with them, so we are blissfully peace and quiet at the moment, instead of having to put up with their constant screaming and shouting the whole time.