Introductions ....

Hello.

Let me introduce myself.

I am you. Yes you reading this!

I am that enthusiastic bird and nature lover that you are. Never more happy than when I am walking around a nature reserve with a pair of binoculars around my neck, and a bit of warming sunshine on my back, and always hoping this visit will bring something a bit different and new, but always going home satisfied that you saw something today that made you go, wow, isn’t nature wonderful!

We are blessed in Wales to have some of the finest reserves in the UK. The habitat diversity is incredible, from the salt marshes and lagoons at Newport Wetlands, to the Oak woodlands and estuaries of Ynys-Hir and the rugged glacial lake-sides of Lake Vyrnwy.

I have a confession to make. I never used to be like this. I was a television addict. Luck decided that a house with a garden backing onto some woodlands became available, both me and my wife jumped at the chance of inviting the local bird life into our lives. We have never looked back.

Through this blog I hope to share some of my enthusiasm with you, and all the wonderful experiences of the changing seasons in my garden, and the nature reserves I visit. I also hope to share with you all the incredible and varied species of bird that visit my garden, and any tips I have found in encouraging them to feed and visit safely.

The one thing I haven’t achieved since I moved here is anything successfully using a nest box. A pair of Blue Tits did check out the one nest box I put up last year, but alas a more Des Res obviously came on the market. The nest box has only ever been used for the occasional roosting Wren in the winter. I have a new Robin nest box to put up so hopefully that will double my chances.

It’s that time of year, that if you have nest boxes up that you should check them to make sure they are clean and dry. We are right on the cusp of the breeding season and there is plenty of showing off going on in my hedgerow. I already have a pair of Robins that have coupled up, the male seeing off an interloper with an impressive display of red chest waving, something I had never witnessed before. Dunnocks have been picking good branches to sing their scratchy song from; it really is all kicking off!

The RSPB website has excellent advice on where to situate a nest box, you can read that here. If you have never tried, give it a go, may be you will get lucky. If I do, I assure you, you will be reading about it here.

I also hope you will find this blog informative and fun to read, and please feel free to leave comments, all feedback is welcome.

As I said at the start, I used to be a tele addict. I now have the best soap opera there is, in full 3D, high definition and surround sound … and I get it all for free from just outside my patio windows.