Fledgling house sparrow

Dear Readers, overnight the Great Tit nestlings have fledged – I saw them briefly in the lilac this morning, but haven’t seen them or their parents since. I shall keep my eyes peeled, and send you a photo when I spot them. I’m actually relieved – a few nights ago I chased off a cat that had climbed up the hydrangea and was looking speculatively into the nest box. I’m not sure if s/he could get a paw in, but no one likes to see nestlings in peril. Then last night there was lots of fox noise, and I had to march down in my dressing gown to make sure that they weren’t trying to get into the nest (which they weren’t). The stress!

The absence of the Great Tits has  been more than compensated for by the appearance of lots of fledgling House Sparrows, who sit around looking hopeful as their devoted parents try to find them enough to eat.

The young starlings are still about, and there are several young squirrels as well…

But maybe the best news is that Abbie the foster cat came out for her food this morning – she not only miaowed in a demanding fashion but she also head-butted me for a stroke, so maybe I was overly pessimistic about how long it would take her to come round yesterday. Isn’t she a pretty girl?