Nice to see you to see you nice.

A week working away in Watford and Milton Keynes came to an end on Thursday with the arrival of Dougie and his better half staying for a couple of days. With the ladies happy indoors we ventured out to Macclesfield Forest in the hope Dougie would get good views of the breeding Little Owls, the parents of last weeks young. After searching with no sign Dougie spotted one tucked up against the dry-stone dyke, never really allowing a close approach.

Friday morning and the ladies were off for some retail therapy at the Trafford Centre, which meant a day of birding. Not quite birding, myself, Dougie and Mike ended up on a farm i have acquired to check out the nesting Swallows. Just 2 nests occupied with 4 eggs in one and 5 in the other, Mike set a net in the barn and we caught a female. A visit in the next 10 days will be needed to hopefully ring the young. The afternoon was a walk around Lindow Common in Wilmslow with the slim hope of Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, no such luck. The evening was a cracking night out seeing the brilliant comedian Dylan Moran in Manchester washed down with a slap up  meal, well kebab at Abduls in Fallowfield. Who said romance is dead!

An early start yesterday at Woolston (again), plenty of birds with the star bird being a juv Treecreeper.

Lots of action in the garden over the last few days, but most pleasing was the sight of Nuthatches back on the feeders. Its maybe been 5 years or more since the last ones see.