[Umbrian]

I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of birds that frequent my small town garden. Sparrows, Starlings, Chaffinches, Tits,  Robins, Hawfinches and, most of all, Blackbirds. One of the first things I did was to install a birdbath that many of them make frequent use of but was nervous of putting out food for fear the numerous pigeon population would cause problems. This winter however I decided to give it a try and, so far, the pigeons have kept away and I have been rewarded with even more activity. The Blackbirds are the most appreciative and this spring it has been interesting to observe their behaviour. Two males decided to stake a claim as ruler of the territory. For several days recently I saw them acting very strangely, chasing each other from one end of the garden to the other over long periods. Research on the Internet brought me to the conclusion that they were each trying to establish " feeding rights" before having young to feed. Now, the "winner" is about all the time and has become very tame, appearing from nowhere the minute I open the back door to go into the garden and following my gardening activities closely. Yesterday I was preparing pots for seeds and he came within a foot or so, anxious to see if I was getting something for him no doubt.
An added pleasure to the many other joys of gardening.

[Joanna Savage]

It's the robins who are interested in all garden activity here in Toscana. They fly by my head to make sure I know they are there. This year a green woodpecker came to the garden on a couple of mornings. It hopped around the circumference of several of the trees but must have decided against them as I hear  the sound of a woodpecker from much further away. After this house had extensive renovations I used all the old and rotten timbers to hold soil on the slopes until the plants grow. Now the wood is older and even more rotten. The blackbirds love it and are slowly wrecking the carefully laid contour timbers. But is making good mulch.

[David Dickinson]

Hi Joanna,

Green Woodpeckers often feed at ground level and do not, necessarily, hammer at wood to get food. They can be seen licking up ants from the ground. In the parks in Rome they are sometimes flushed from the ground as you walk along the paths and they fly up into the trees only to come back down again later. The hammering that you hear around you is not necessarily from Green Woodpeckers. Do you have Greater Spotted Woodpeckers in the surrounding area, for example?

Striking birds, both of them.

[Umbrian]

Talking of mulch Joanna- I have always found Blackbirds to be the most annoying disturbers of mulches especially when newly spread. Their efforts to find anything edible resulting in mess everywhere. They even manage to move my gravel mulch and scatter it onto adjoining paths, patio etc.