It's nesting time. You friendly local blue tit needs you!

[ChardonnaysPetDragon]

Please top up your feeders and brush your dogs so they have energy to build the nests and something soft to feather them.

I had a great time watching them pick up the dog fur I'd left out for them.

Goldfinches came to feed on the cherry blossom as well, and the blackbirds are nesting too.

Our block of flats has had scaffolding up for 10 months and the blue tits are investigating the ends of the poles outside the kitchen window as possible nesting sites - scaffold is due down in a couple of weeks, I can't bear it!

No!

Can you shoo then away? Throw bits at them? Play miaowing sounds on your phone?

Murphy's have just arrived to dig up water main - hopefully their drills will do the trick! They're so cute (blue tits not Murphy's!).

@ChardonnaysPetDragon I just put the bits of shell where they can be picked up easily and also where there's a clear view round - so not near any foliage that can hide a cat for example. I have compost heaps with flat roofs and scatter some there, as the birds can see all round from higher up the surrounding trees. Unfortunately my cat is quite a good hunter and I don't care about the mice, but the little birds' deaths are upsetting. All I can do is make sure I don't lure them somewhere where they're at risk.

Last year the magpies found a blackbirds' nest in the hedge and hauled out the nestlings, it was terrible. I wish there was a way of protecting songbirds from magpies and their like, the horrors.

I groomed my very hairy spaniel outside in the sunshine yesterday, and let all the hair fly off into the air. We have blue tits in the garden so I hope they find it.

Water bowl topped up, after a robin that came looking for it earlier was disappointed, though I have a suspicion that the fox uses that as well.

Eggshell will go in the feeder tray.

Magpie took little ducklings off 2 years ago whole mum and dad quacked helplessly. It took them, one by one, up into the tree and threw them around like little fluffy bean bags. I cried and would have shot it if I'd had a gun.

You can't apply human concepts of morality to animals. The jays and magpies are finding food for their babies.

I understand that it is distressing to watch but that is nature. It's not always cute and pretty.

My exercise has been to go and feed the ducks, swans and pigeons in the park. The pigeons eat the seeds from my hand. I have been worried that they will be getting fed less now.

Same applies to birds of prey.

My poor grandma was horrified when a sparrowhawk caught a blue tit in our garden and scoffed it.

Poor sparrowhawk has to eat too....

I understand that it is distressing to watch but that is nature. It's not always cute and pretty

Yes, we know.

Result!

Three goldfinches! Best thing of the day.

It was the playing with them, tossing them about that distressed me. A cat and mouse game

I love magpies. They seem so intelligent with lots of character.. They gotta eat too.

They can eat, but no fledglings on my watch.

Lots of activity this morning.

Goldfinches are collecting dog hair, the blue tits are after it as well, there is a queue by the water bowl because one fat great tit is taking too long with her bath.

Mr and Mrs Blackbird treated us on the wall this evening, they were mating and didn't care that we were watching from the kitchen window. Presumably their nest is now ready for eggs.

The fat pigeons have been at the egg shell. Eggs being a luxury now I'm watching every single egg eaten in the house and keep track of the shells.

They all love the bath though, not the pigeons, they won't even fit there, but the rest, blackbirds, robins, blue tits. Not the goldfinches, they seem too posh to bathe there, they just go for a drink.