Four and Twenty Blackbirds (and their assorted companions).

Many people would shudder at the "messiness" of my garden. I myself shudder at the "tidiness" of some gardens as I feel that there can be not much room for wildlife in such manicured, slug free, weed-sprayed surroundings. A garden without wildlife is a very sterile and uninspiring place, in my opinion. Each to their own, of course, but this post is for those who love nature as much as I do!
This has been a bumper year for fledglings in my garden, despite a few nest raids by the local magpies. In particular a pair of blackbirds have been dogging my footsteps looking for food for their four hungry chicks.

Three of the blackbird fledglings, soaking up the sun

Blackbirds love overripe pears or apples. I always check the "Whoops!" counter in the supermarket for a cheap (no pun intended) purchase. Note the daisies in the lawn, messy but beautiful.

Feed me!

Occasionally breakfast is a bit more of a mouthful. This huge moth took some swallowing, but after several attempts it finally went down.

 
A family of Blackcaps spent a few hours looking for insects in my rambling Rose, one afternoon. 

As some of you already know, we had nine Blue Tit fledglings from our nesting box.They stayed around the garden for a few weeks, being fed by their parents.

 

One of my favourite garden birds is the Long Tailed Tit. I've had a flock of at least ten visiting the feeders for the past couple of weeks. They are so sweet!

 Mr & Mrs Bullfinch are shy, but they do come down to the feeders from time to time. 

The resident Wrens are now on their second brood. Heard more often than seen, they call endlessly to one another under the dense cover of the native hedging we've planted along the perimeter of the garden. Occasionally, when the cat is out and about, the parents will come out of hiding to shout at the offending feline.

  A family of Dunnocks is also on its second brood. The youngsters are following Mum backwards and forwards as she teaches them how to find food for themselves.

Last but definitely not least, Britain's favourite bird the Robin is also on its second brood in my garden. In fact, if you include a nest that was abandoned with five eggs in it after a blackbird built its nest on the roof of the Robin nestbox, this is technically the third attempt!

Thanks for visiting, I hope you've enjoyed the photos!