Indecision time

The blue tits have spent the week checking out all three nesting boxes and pecking at the entrance holes but they still haven't made up their minds!  I wonder what makes for the perfect location? We think that the camera box is the safest from predators such as cats and magpies but the blue tits may have their own thoughts around what's best for them.

The ducks, too, have been indecisive.  In spite of the fact that an egg has been laid in one of the nesting boxes nothing has happened since and there has been little activity around the riverside boxes.  The hybrid duck's partner, whose tail is a very creamy colour so I'll nickname her 'cream tail' spends every morning on the garden deck near one of the two nesting boxes but shows little interest in either of them.

 Time for a break from nesting duties

We're delighted to hear that a pair of kingfishers have started nesting locally.  They used to nest in the lagoon regularly but since camp shedding has been used to shore up the banks in places the birds would appear to have abandoned the lagoon.

A female blackbird spent the earlier part of the week collecting nesting material from our garden.  I haven't seen her for the last two days so her nest is probably fully built by now.  She is nesting in our neighbour's hedgerow while her partner entertains us regularly with his mellifluous territorial outbursts.

The magnolia is magnificent this year

We have an impressive show of blossoms most years but this year the magnolia is particularly abundant and is a joy to look at.  This tree blooms three times every year but only the first flowering is significant.