Love heart

I think this is Mrs Tane who has been a little more visible. Usually, she does not stay so close... that is, IF this is Mrs... see that slightly raised line of feathers going back from the eye? Tane has it, and I wonder if it's a male thing?

Anyway, I like this bird's upturned heart patterned breast.

Tane has been around - a relief as I didn't see him for a couple of days.

Tane seems to have some poo on his head - as did Neighbour Robin. I like this sequence. "Someone shat on my head." "Don't stare at me!" "Are you STILL staring?"

He went into the hedge to have a bit of a preen.

I have not seen the Robin Children for I don't know how many days. This is distressing. But I am glad that Tane is around.

I think of the mortality rate. Only two of, what five? eggs led to fully fledged chicks. And they seem to have gone. The Blackbird Child too remains out of sight. There seems to be one Dunnock Child, who seems more advanced than the others were. The starlings are in smaller numbers than last year. I think I have seen three young blue tits. One was completely the wrong colour, striped black and white on its chest. I searched online in case it might have been a long tailed tit or coal tit baby, but I think it was just a freak. I only saw it once. One blue tit baby I have seen regularly. No great tit babies. No little tiny wrens.

At the bat walk tonight, we all said we thought there are more insects, including bees, this year than last year. All of them had noticed more splatter on windscreens and the local water beetle expert, whose second stream of expertise includes bees, does think there are more bees. This is something.

And the bats were out in good numbers. Many common and soprano pips as well as two Daubenton's feasting over the water.

I do love bats.