Al Woods Photo

              Well the Blue Tits are very busy going in and out of the box with food for their youngsters. Looks like quite a selection of grubs and green insects if you zoom into the photo. I'm guessing about another week or so they will be close to fledging. Last year it was early June before they emerged but I think this clutch is earlier this year.

 After observing Hedgehogs coming into the garden almost every night, I caught this predator stalking around. I really don't know if its a cat or a fox. We have had foxes on occasion, but not in the garden. On this video, it has obviously got something in its mouth, but its hard to tell what it is. The obvious things would be a Hedgehog, Rat or a Pigeon but I'm not certain. Surely a cat wouldn't tackle a Hedgehog?      I will continue to monitor the garden to see what happens next.   Update    I captured this footage at a later date. This is clearly a large cat that may be the culprit. It has similar markings on its rear flank. On closer inspection of the first video, I think I can make out a wing on the prey, so maybe it was a cat with a bird.

   After noticing some strange poo on the lawn yesterday afternoon, we decided to put the trap cam out overnight. It seems that this adult (gender unknown) strolls around the lawn at night!     Update  Here are some more Hedgehog clips:        

    Unfortunately, the young Robin chicks fell foul to predators or the parents rejected them for some reason. It has been known for parent birds to kill their own chicks. If a predator is guilty its highly likely to be Magpies. I decided to put my maker skills to use and try to design a predator-proof Robin box. I came up with this design. With a deeper entry port, it should prevent easy access by would-be assassins. I won't know now until next spring when hopefully the Robins will return. On a happier note, the Blue Tits are busy taking food into the nest box. It won't be long before they are ready to leave the box. Fingers crossed that nothing attacks them as they leave.