June 11 2001

The news on the chaffinches is good. Early yesterday morning when I looked out into the back garden there were 5 young ones being fed by the male parent. They are all able to fly and seem to be able to feed themselves now and again. But I think they don't really know what to look for because they give it up after a short while and resort to being fed by Dad. They all go through the same ritual when being fed this way. As the parent bird approaches with a morsel they wave their heads from side to side in a little frenzy and then wait for the next bit. It's as though they were watching a very fast game of tennis. I mentioned earlier that they didn't seem to mix with the sparrows but in fact they do; to the extent that at times the sparrows have to jump over them to get to their next spot on the ground. They also spend a lot of time sitting on branches of trees waiting for the parent bird to appear with some food. The ritual there is just the same. A fast game of tennis and then eat.There does seem to be just one blackbird. I am unable to account for the other three. Perhaps the cats can. Who knows? The survivor is braver now, coming out from under the bushes more often but when an alert happens and all the other birds take flight he runs into the bushes again. This could be his downfall, as that is where the cat will some day be waiting. Let's hope not.The robins are doing OK. I see at least one being fed in the back garden and there is an adult bird going in and out of the garage on a regular basis. So there is more hatching going on.