Great news - 3 young COMMON BLACKBIRDS in garden

I was fearing the worse when seeing my resident pair of COMMON BLACKBIRDS appear with just one youngster but today, spending long periods at home, I was delighted to see the father feeding three well-grown fledglings on the wood chippings. It was interesting that when father went searching on the main lawn for worms, all three had the sense to conceal themselves under the hedge - and thereby remaining safe from cats. Interestingly, there was no sign of the mother Blackbird - perhaps she is sitting on a second brood

The male House Sparrows are particularly shabby now in appearance and with the continued presence of the Goldfinches at the feeders, it suggest that they are not breeding.