New beginnings

I've been interested in birds for a very long time. The first book I ever bought with my own money, well actually school prize money, was The Hamlyn Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe back in 1971. I lost that one in a fire in 2002 but have replaced it with a second hand copy off Ebay.

There used to be a decent variety of birds at home, helped by the fact we had apple trees and fields, woods and a canal not too far away. Many years later I moved out and to my present location. There was never a garden here, just a 50 by 30 foot area of overgrown grass and weeds. Birds never visited the "garden". After that fire I had blinds but never opened them: there was no point in looking at the mess.

Then in 2006 I decided it was about time something was done. Two of the three children had left home and the third wouldn't be far behind. The eldest had a one year old daughter and I wanted to be able to sit outside with my children and grandchildren (it will be three soon) in a proper garden.

It wasn't going to be done quickly, for a start I'm not that good at this and I have had, and will have, a lot of help from my brother and his wife. One decision I made was that I wanted a tree, and that was to attract birds.

The story of the garden might be for another blog. This one is about the birds that come to visit.