You can't pick and choose...

...  your garden wildlife.

I love seeing birds in the garden (mostly; not very keen on the fat pigeons that keep other, smaller birds away).

Grey squirrels? Another matter.  This one, and his/her no doubt contentedly extended family,  are a total pain. We manage to keep them off the bird feeder by having a weight-sensitive one that closes the hatch when they climb on it. This, however, just gives them more time to polish off other treats: bulbs in autumn, young fig fruits in the spring, unripe quince fruit in the summer.   Anything that is roughly the size and shape of a large nut triggers off the chewing reflex.  Then we find the spat-out remains scattered around the garden.

This morning I came eyeball to eyeball with this one - through a patio door - at around 5.30 a.m.  I went out and he/she ran off, no doubt laughing merrily.

I then forgot all about the squirrel once I heard and saw crowds of swifts circling above the garden. Their wings were catching silvery highlights in the early morning sunshine, and the air was fresh and cool. It was glorious.

There's a little group of swifts in the extra. You can't see much detail on the birds, as they were fairly high up. But you can see how the light catches on their wings.