This morning, while watering some thirsty plants I was accompanied for about five minutes by a very confiding Goldcrest (Britain’s smallest bird). At one point it was no more than 12 inches from my hand and it seemed entirely unperturbed by my presence. Needless to say, the moment I went to get my camera it flitted off elsewhere.  I could hear it and its mate calling one another nearby but  after 10 minutes or so I decided that wandering round the garden trying to track down a tiny bird was not the best use of my time, so you will just have to take my word for it.

While it is still the silly season in the newspapers, there is nothing silly about the story appearing at the moment about the threat to greenfinches from trichomonosis  (a disease caused by a parasite) that is killing them in large numbers. It is primarily a disease of pigeons but for some reason greenfinches are succumbing.  I’ve upped the hygiene with my birdfeeders and birdbath, using Citrox, the citrus-derived natural disinfectant (available from www.organiccatalog.com) to keep things as clean as possible.

The shallots have been harvested and ideally I would have planted the chard where they were growing but the parsnip foliage is well over 3ft tall and shading the bed so I will have to put them in a pot.

Golden ringed Dragonfly

In yesterday’s Independent Stanley Johnson (father of blonde bombshell Boris) wrote a fine feature about the danger of eco-tourism destroying this unique habitat. Instead of travelling to the furthest side of the world damaging the planet as you go, why not leave that to David Attenborough and the BBC’s wildlife photographers (and HD television) and explore the wildlife in your own back garden instead.  All you need is a good hand lens and the time to examine the flora and fauna in close-up.   You will be amazed what you find when you really start to look.  Birds in Your Garden and Collins Complete Guide - British Insects and The Wildflowers of Britain and Ireland will help with identification and you can learn more on the subject at www.wildlifegardener.co.uk and uksafari.com.