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Springwatch with Hellsbells

Just saw one of the babies at the peanut feeder. Was much more yellow around the face and belly than the parents and no blue feathers yet. The kids were chuffed to see them back!

They won’t be far away.
Good having the caged peanut feeders out. It will help them mature.

Have a large population of young Great Tits and Blue Tits around here. Must have been successful with the nest boxes.
A few young Nuthatches spotted in the garden, reckon they must be from the tree out the front.
It’s cracking for your kids @HellsBells 👍
 

Saw a Stock Dove in my garden yesterday, I wasn't sure what it was so I had to look it up. They seem to be fairly widely distributed around England but I can't say I've noticed them before.
We get a few here.
They are losing so much of their natural nesting territory as are Little Owls.

Had 2 Stock Dove chicks as late as September last year being reared in an Owl nesting box I put up in a tree.
Went to clean it, should have left it later but both OK.
 
Saw a flurry of activity in some trees while playing golf this morning and there seemed to be a gaggle of kestrels. One flew off to hunt and left the rest behind. Judging by the noise from the trees there must’ve been an adult left with some young birds.
 
Just had a cat kill a pigeon that was about to fledge from the nest in the hawthorn tree at the bottom of my garden. I managed to hit the cat with a stone while it was sitting in the nest chewing on something but no doubt it'll be back for the remaining young pigeon. Both my neighbours have cats and they've decimated the birds I used to get in my garden. Today apart from the pigeons I've seen one robin, the resident blackbirds and song thrush seem to have vanished and hardly any small birds visit now. f***ing cats.
 
Just had a cat kill a pigeon that was about to fledge from the nest in the hawthorn tree at the bottom of my garden. I managed to hit the cat with a stone while it was sitting in the nest chewing on something but no doubt it'll be back for the remaining young pigeon. Both my neighbours have cats and they've decimated the birds I used to get in my garden. Today apart from the pigeons I've seen one robin, the resident blackbirds and song thrush seem to have vanished and hardly any small birds visit now. f***ing cats.
we live in an area which is about as rural as you can get with no cats near by . I estimate that the numbers of small birds is down by 75%, blackbirds and thrushes 90% . We do still have a family of 11 partridges living under the hedge though .
 
The rut is starting here, noisy gits.
Its getting a bit ropey driving the village road at night, biggest ive seen down off the moor so far was about 13ft from hoof to antler tip. Fkn huge animal.
 
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