The week started quietly with watching bees in the garden - favourite flowers appear to be cotoneaster that covers the side of the garage, perennial geraniums of all colours, foxgloves, and flowers on the sage plants. It turns out they're not interested in scented flowers such as roses and sweet peas, though I know they love lavender (which will flower soon).
Tuesday was busy with unusual garden visitors. First I was astounded to see a squirrel running about on the patio, barely a socially distanced two metres from where I was sitting inside. They often run along the back fence, and I assume they raid the bird feeders at times but I've never seen one approach this close to the house. Then it appeared again in the afternoon! Meanwhile in the compost heap, a mouse was busy finding dinner. Although they're fairly regular visitors, I haven't seen one for a while, so was quite startled - so was the mouse. In future I'll lift the bin lid off slowly.
On dry days the bird bath has been busy with visitors - mainly robins, pigeons, blackbirds, but occasionally goldfinches, sparrows and blue tits turn up.
Larger birds have been squabbling in the front garden rowan and along the road - crows, blackbirds, possibly a magpie (they're generally the trouble-starters) - and a pair of pigeons have been trying to nest there - they seem to have very little idea about nest-building, and the one in the back garden has fallen out of the tree a couple of times.
The highlight of the week though was seeing goslings at Locko Park. I'd gone there just for some open countryside and although I knew geese lived there, hadn't expected the huge families swimming round the lake. Most of the youngsters (Pinkfoots possibly) were being safety corralled in the middle of the lake but the Canada geese with older goslings were on the banks
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