Here we are, on the threshold of a brand new year, and that means Big Garden Birdwatch is zooming up. Four weeks to go and counting until half a million people all play their part in the biggest bird survey in the world…

I’m sure many of you feed birds throughout the winter and probably year-round – and good on you if that is the case. Nevertheless, now seems a great time to check if you’re ready for the big weekend…

Over the past few weeks, I have been spending just a few minutes every week raking up the leaves as they drop.

It's not essential to do it, but if the leaves lie about on the grass, they can create bald patches, and I don't want them clogging the pond when they can get a bit stinky and turn the water brown with their tanins.

So I just pop them in a big collecting bucket and then tip them into my leaf bin.

I know that Christmas is coming because, this week, my garden has been playing host to some birds that come from Santa's homeland. (I know there's some dispute about where Santa lives, but as far as I'm concerned it is northern Scandinavia).

They arrived on a grizzly dark winter's day, perching up high in my myrtle tree. I wouldn't normally post rubbish photos, but the reality is that this is how we often…

So another year is coming to its conclusion, with hopefully more nature saved than lost.

I always like to have a look back and see how things have gone in my garden this year.

It started frosty but the new turf seemed to have taken well around the pond, with more beds dug ready for flowers.

Sparrowhawks have continued to visit daily, with even this intrepid bird skating over to my solar fountain in the cold snap…