In the Garden

It's amazing how much of a difference a bit of lawn and some trees can make to the wildlife you see in the garden. In Preston, more than one sparrow is a success but after a week at my parent's house I'm reminded how varied garden wildlife can be!

Many bird feeders will be back in cupboards now that spring is here but the full feeders outside are busy with goldfinches, sparrows, starlings, pigeons and a very regular friendly robin. A good reminder that there are still hungry birds around.

I've also rediscovered the joys of conservatory birdwatching. The flock of sparrows happily preen and hop around in the bushes seemingly oblivious to the people sat meters away on the other side of the glass walls. A brilliant way to watch nature in the warm and much more interesting than going to a zoo. I happily sit for ages absorbed in the tiny world of sparrow society.

With all the small bird in the garden it's not surprising that there's a healthy number of raptor sightings above it too. This week we've seen several red kites (now a regular sighting after reintroductions locally), a buzzard and even several visits from a sparrow hawk. I haven't seen any of them catch anything but I'm sure that they do. It's good to see food chains thriving and nature in its most natural form (except for the not so natural gardens-they're not exactly wild or unplanned).

Back to Preston I look forward to watching out for my sparrows but I'll miss seeing so much wildlife on the lawn and in the trees. It just shows what a difference different habitats make to the wildlife you see.