My Goldcrest has come back

[lucy78green]

I noticed a goldcrest in my garden last year for the Big Garden Birdwatch (2009) but I haven't seen it again this year. Like a lot of people towards the northern end of the country, my bird count for this years Big Garden Birdwatch was quite disappointing. I've just been outside refilling my fat ball feeders (which the starlings regularly clean me out of) and to bring in my seed feeders for a wash (I am chancing putting them in the dishwasher to see if I can get the inaccessible crevices properly clean).
I bought a big bag of mixed bird feed thinking it was more economic, but my birds seem to pick out all the sunflower seeds and throw the rest all over the ground.
I was just looking out the window again and I noticed a gold crest on one of my fat ball feeders - I hope it sticks around! I have also seen a chaffinch in and around the garden this year - last year they sat in the trees out in the street but wouldn't come into the garden. Last week I also had a goldfinch which seemed to disappear there for a while - here's hoping the bird numbers are picking up again!

[aeshna5]

I was watching one collecting some small feathers for its nest in a low Yew at Kew Gardens this afternoon. Hope they have a good breeding season to raise the numbers again.