March this year started with ‘changeable’ weather. The morning started with blue skies and bright sunshine, but by the end of the afternoon lightening flashed and thunder roared and hail battered on my back door.

But this did not impede the wonderful array of birds that flitted in and out of my garden during the day.

The Sallow half way down the garden flexed and strained in the wind. The primroses pale yellow petals stood out from the dark brown of the bare soil beneath it. Tiny green leaf peaks from the bulbs pushed up from under the covering of last years leaves next to the path, heralding in the spring. Blue tits and Great tits scoured the branches for any tasty morsel that might be hidden under the bark or in the buds. Supplimenting this with the peanuts and fat cakes from the feeders.

A charm of goldfinches dropped in to take advantage of the niger seeds in the feeder at the upper end of the garden, by the hedge. Distinctive with their red face masks, their black hoods and their gold wing bars. Whilst the Greenfinches headed for the sunflower hearts in the feeders hanging from the side of the arch which divides the garden between the fruit and flower borders and the wild flower meadow and wildlife area. There were Dunnocks and a Chaffinch feeding beneath, picking up the crumbs that dropped from above.

There were also two home made feeders made from old flower pots hanging in the Elder tree by the house The female black cap had discovered them and had been making regular visits through the winter and more recently a pair of coal tits have also been visiting them.

The tree also hosted the parliament of sparrows which congregated noisily in the early morning and then again in the late afternoon. They made use of the feeding station in front of my dinning room window, using the seed dispenser and searching the ground and the plant pots for any stray seeds that might have drifted down or come in on the wind. They were joined by the two resident Robins and the leucistic Blackbird which was also a regular visitor. The latter were more interested in the mealworms which I have been putting out over the winter – and they all take advantage of the fat cakes which are hung, in cages, on the low wooden fence.

The leucistic Blackbird

And one of the resident Robins