Nimrod

A pair of loud ticking alarm calls were ringing out from the corner of the garden as we set off for our early walk. I photographed a very agitated adult robin on the fence and its fledglings were flitting to and fro in panic in the hedge. I soon spotted the cause through the ivy. Not the usual farmyard/feral feline but an elegant grey killing machine staring back at me. Ollie hadn't twigged. I rushed at it, shouting at the top of my voice and it high-tailed it. I wonder what its owners would think if Ollie free-ranged through their garden terrorising the wildlife? I know exactly where the conservation officer of the Royal Parks was coming from when he suggested that cats should be kept indoors as they kill 27 million birds each year.

Luckily cats don't swim from choice so the goslings on the lake should be safe, at least when they're swimming. (Extras)