Magpies are horrible aren't they. We have some round us, but not sure what they are up to. Haven't seen any evidence this year so far of nest predation.
Had a good walk round doing a flora survey of one patch of coppice yesterday. May is not a good time to go into the open areas, especially after the mixture of rain and heat we have had. At one point I thought I was going to have to go back, but just managed to scramble though. Was worth it as I found some twayblade in flower. Didn't know we had any in that coup. Also found a bush I have no idea of, so will have to wait an see on that one. Good mix of species too.
they are clever, daws are better at diplomacy than some of them
pies are a bit rough on small birds that do not do stealth nest, they are ace at waste services as well as doing a bit of vermination
i have a 300 snap sequence of grin eating a sparrow that i knew by name, the last snap is a beak in the centre of an 18" ring of feathers, grin had a nice meal
I think most adult birds look a bit stressed at the moment. They have nestlings, and trying to fill hungry bills is always hard work. Hopefully when the youngsters fledge and are able to look after themselves, adults will get a bit of a rest, unless they have another brood, but I suppose they get a bit of a break while the eggs are incubating.
We were in the churchyard and taking a walk nearby yesterday evening, and found a few interesting things. The brambles nearby were in flower, which is good for the bees. There were some owls calling in the trees round about; heard the distinct male and female calls. Saw several bats, and one my husband saw, but I didn't as I was looking down at the time over some rough ground, flew between us. No idea what type, but don't think some we saw were pipestrelles as they looked a bit big.
We managed to find a bench in the churchyard and over a bush near is there was a honeysuckle. Glorious scent in the evening air.