‘Steve! You’ve done me wrong’

Earlier this morning I went to the patio to refill the feeder with sunflower hearts but found the folder was very wet and needed cleaning. I took off its cover and then tapped the inner plastic container on the ground, but I used too much force. It snapped at its base and died. It was a special squirrel-proof container which slides down to hide the feeding holes under with the weight of a squirrel. I went inside very annoyed with myself and within a few hours I’d found a new exact replacement online and ordered it. 

The finches cannot use our suet feeder as their beaks are too large at their base to fit in between the wire mesh. It is the bullfinches which are particularly affected, as the goldfinches can use either ones. So I went into the cabin and dredged out an old feeder which is relatively useless (unsurprisingly at nearly a tenth of the price), but it would have to do if the birds were to find any extra food.

A short while later when back at my desk I found the tits were able to feed well, but as I feared the bullfinches were having problems. I hadn’t thought that they wouldn’t be able to perch on the pathetic little plastic ones provided. This male bullfinch had to keep flapping to try and approach the small hole, but only occasionally was successful. I couldn’t resist a shot like this as I’d created was an accidental setup to demonstrate their flying prowess.