This has been a bird week. I have a new bird feeding station, bought after the table my father made me fell to bits. Feeding stations are much cheaper than new bird tables and also more flexible with their numerous hanging bits and pieces. You can have peanuts, seeds and fatty products. I don’t use the latter since just providing peanuts and seeds seems to cost a fortune.

I find myself a bit concerned about starting to feed birds like this. They come to rely on it and I am not sure that is a good thing. Also, we may be introducing diseases via communal feeding, dirty seeds and nuts etc. I would like to know what others think.

Since introducing the peanuts we have seen some beautiful bullfinches and great spotted woodpeckers have become regular feeders. Seems an unusual move from feeding on insects to peanuts, but what beautiful birds.

Paxton Pits, Huntingdonshire

During the week we visited Paxton Pits.

http://www.paxton-pits.org.uk/

This is a huge nature reserve around a working gravel pit alongside the Great Ouse. There are delightful walks throughout the area with a variety of habitats for birds. Herons and cormorants breed there. Most of the birds in the sky were cormorants the day we visited. Cuckoos were also flying overhead. It was wonderful to hear them calling continuously. I haven’t heard one at home for years.

The main attraction for us though was the nightingales. We heard them quite clearly and realised what a range of sounds they can produce. I hope I will be able to recognise their singing from now on. They make quite a noise for their size.

Paxton Pits is a great day out.