*fetches hose to put more water in his swimming pool*   he looks funny splishy sploshing 

I do have a picture somewhere - I shall try and route it out 

I'd love to see it.

sorry it's a bit big but here's Cyril 

Aww, he's cute, Pengy.

Pengy I like the way he is looking right at the camera

I can't find the other two of him   bit of glare in that one 

there are better ones of him but hey ho you've seen the little blighter 

They move so fast, It's hard to get a good photo of them, so I think you did well.

Saturday 30/402011:-

All I have seen today are the male and female blackbirds

My garden is usually teaming with birds.

My  (pregnant) cat has just brought in a dead black bird. I'm hyperventilating, trying to sling it out, she's looking at me like I'm wrong and not her.

Goodness me - it has been very exciting in my garden today. One of the pigeons nesting in next door's tree met a very nasty death at the hands of (I would imagine) a bird of prey - we get loads of red kite here. It was ripped clean in half, with half of it on my lawn and the other half ... who knows?

A pair of magpies have feasted on the half that was on the lawn - all that is left of it now is a claw.

You weren't eating - were you

That's one of the reasons I could never have a cat, Col.

I remember you saying that the little hussy had been cavorting with the tomcats in your area. I see ^^^^ she has got herself into trouble.

Do you think you will be able to find homes for the kittens?

Thankfully, no!

I have a sparrowhawk in my area which thinks my birdtable is a takeaway restaurant.

A couple of times, I've come home to find it sitting on the whirly gig washing line, plucking a dead little bird.

Oh no - this would have traumatised me

As I said before it's nature but it doesn't make it any less distressing (for me anyway).

We were out for most of the day but as usual all the seed and fat balls have been devoured so I guess the regulars have been around as usual.

Yes I will yogi. One stays with us, one goes to my best mate and one goes to my daughter. If there are more than three, I'll keep them. Mutley and I will look after them.

That's good, glad you've got it all sorted, Col.

When our cats were kittens one of them caught a pigeon.

Being summertime all the doors were open.

We tried to catch her but she made it to the house and galloped upstairs.

I rushed up after her and saw a guilty looking cat with a mouthful of feathers emerging from my bedroom.

I cautiously entered,but no bird was to be seen.

I carefully peered under the bed and there it was! I was now faced with daunting task of getting it out.

Got loads of kitchen towel and managed to get it onto that, but I still had to pick it up and carry it out of the house.

I managed, but it was horrible because the poor thing was still warm!

Sunday 1/5/2011:-

 Still only the blackbirds in evidence,

Of course, that might be because I've been using quite a lot of electrical equipment recently. So maybe the noise is keeping the rest of the birds away.

I am loving watching the mummy blackbird in her nest, last year she made a right mess of it and we had to put the nest in a hanging basket. This year i couldn't believe she came back, but she seems to be doing much better this time, they mummy and daddy bird are always in our garden throughout the year,  she doesnt mind us going near her or the nest. I think she knows we are no threat.

That's lovely Gypsie. She probably realises (in whatever way birds do) that after you put the nest in the hanging basket that you are OK.

I hope so, I love it when they are born and when you are in the garden you can hear them all chirping when they get yummy worms

My garden birdwatch has been a bit disappointing so far this year.

However I did see some starlings as well as the blackbirds yesterday.

Robins, blackbirds, thrushes, some sort of bluetit,  and several bloomin pigeons

Last year we had SEVEN of these!

Barbaray Doves

Awww they are lovely EFFT Our are just humungous pigeons They arrived a couple of years ago.... and keep coming back...... make a right mess

Nice pic of the collared doves, Fluffy. The problem with them is that you start off with a pair visiting your garden, then before you know it there's a dozen of them. That's why I always chase them with my mop.

I had a bullfinch in my garden yesterday - the first time ever.

I was really excited, but my youngest son said I was a saddo.

Yogi I've only ever seen a pair of bullfiches once in my garden about 5 years ago.They are in decline alas.Loss of habitat and food sources.They love seeds like thistles etc.They were feeding on "forget me not" seeds in my garden.The male is a handsome bird.They are not a garden bird usually ,more in the countryside.

Brilliant pic Katty, that's the one.

I get greenfinches, chaffinches and even the occasional goldfinch but this was the very first time I'd had a bullfinch in my garden. He's a gorgeous bird, beautiful colours and markings.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/

I look at this site but I'm not a member,you can get bird food a lot cheaper elsewhere.

I'm a member Katty, but I don't buy my seed from them. As you said, you can get it a lot cheaper.

Just a couple of weeks ago we noticed tiny birds darting on and out of a nesting box thats been in the garden for a few years but not had any activity, This year it is with a family of either Blue or Great tits, They are in out out of there like they are only elastic, It's been fantastic to watch them this week.  

If they are tiny it's probably blue tits,great tits are sparrow size.

Two main things that ditinguish between Great Tits and Blue Tits.

Great tits are larger and they have a black cap, while the smaller Blue tit has a blue cap.

GREAT TIT

BLUE TIT

thanks for posting the pictures, when they are out and about tomorrow, I'll try and get close to the, and have a look, Looking at the 2 pictures, I'd say they are more Blue than Great, I can't remember seeing a black head, They are great to watch bouncing off the trees, diving in and out of the plant pots looking for seeds, They are flying in and out of the nest like they are on elastic.

The Coal Tit is roughly the same size as the blue tit, but is mainly black and white.

COAL TIT

In the last couple of weeks we have had a fair few jackdaws and rooks coming down - they end up eating all the food that is usually left for our "regulars" the woodpigeons, starlings and chaffinches.