More entertainment

I was in the kitchen quite a bit today and was glad of the entertainment outside. 

Here is a typical scenario:

There are fat balls today but inevitably Starlings have found them and, at intervals, they take over. This is the scene below the feeder. Starlings are such messy eaters that they scatter bits, so the smaller birds gather below and sweep up the bits. There are a few Sparrows, the rest are in the bush above waiting for the Starlings to go or deciding whether they dare find a space on the feeder. Then there are two birds who are usually loners, but a food source at this time of year encourages them to join the group, albeit at the very edge - Robin and Dunnock. Usually these two are enemies, but this is no time for quarrelling. As soon as the Sparrows fly off the Robin will be in there. It is strange to see the Dunnock out in the open, as they usually spend all their time lurking in the undergrowth, keeping away from the Robin!

And this is just the front of the house - there's lots more going on in the back. It costs us a fortune to feed the birds but I do love watching them.