Unlike the couple I read about in Crossland Moor that no longer have any birds visiting their garden (nor their neighbours) our garden continues to be pretty busy however this year it seems that the Blackbirds have deserted us!! I realise that they do disappear after summer to moult -and from my detailed records this normally means a four or five week gap - but this year we are now in week ten and counting. Is anyone else having a similar experience?

Also absent from my garden but I believe that this is an extreme example of normal fluctuations. It can be easy to forget the awful weather of 2018 and its knock-on effect through subsequent breeding periods and I wonder if this is a contributory factor.

That isn't to say, of course, that we aren't all seeing the declines that are obvious in the wider countrysde.

(Not to mention the devastating effects of microwave radiation from 4G and 5G masts - tin helmets should be worn at all time around Crosland Moor.)