The goldfinches have returned

I buckled down to some serious sorting and cleaning out of the garden cabin. Then I hoovered the floor, cobwebs, and nooks and crannies before washing the floor and putting some of the stuff back, including all the pot plants and cacti that had had a few days of being washed in the rain and plenty of fresh air.

I stopped just before the drizzle returned and then a little later went back to sit on the sofa in the cabin and could delight in the new space. My camera and Bomble were beside me with the windows and door open. Sipping tea my mind wandered and I suddenly thought that I was missing seeing the long-tailed tits which had been absent for about two months. I had thought we had a pair preparing to nest in the hedge near the house, but then all went quiet, and I feared the worst.

Within two minutes I looked up and saw a long-tailed tit, and then another, and realised it was baby. They perched on the neighbours bushes and twittered about with their lovely call. I laughed and snapped a couple of pictures.

Soon after I heard another bird sound which I’d also noticed had been absent for a long time, goldfinches. Then I saw the golden coloured flashes of a wing hidden within leaves on a branch. Another bird arrived and brought food to a hungry mouth. I got up and went outside but scared them off. I decided to stand and wait and then they came back more prominently and fed from the suet feeder close to the house. The juvenile stayed in the top branches of tree I was now under and I managed to catch this scene on the parent’s return. A double delight.