Life in the flânerie garden continues to meander its way through a cosy summer. The blackbirds, having raised two families, have deemed their job done and moved on. Or they got shot and eaten by a Frenchman. Either way, they are no longer around.
The wood pigeons still dominate and the sparrows, who arrived late, have stayed. Bless 'em.
But occasionally something arrives which gives rise to the phrase "what the fuck is that?!"
In June it was the Greater Spotted Woodpecker. A handsome bird if ever there was one, and now an infrequent visitor to the peanut feeder. When last observed he spent some time investigating how the feeder is attached to the tree and appeared to be figuring out a way to remove it. Without success so far.
Last week, (s)he was trumped by a Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa), or so my bird book says. It was either a juvenile or a female. The Red-legged Partridge was introduced to Britain in the 1600s by Charles II, having brought them from France to provide target practice for guns (its says here,) which is a bit of a bum deal. Hopefully he or she will return.