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Our house overlooks our neighbour's "pond" (actually just a bit of permanently flooded field). Yesterday I saw a pair of Mallard ducks with a little brood of 6 chicks swimming about behind them. An idyllic scene except that a couple of carrion crows were patrolling the water's edge looking out for any chicks that strayed too close to land. Today when I checked there was only one chick left. It seems very sad but I suppose crows need to eat too.
Another dead pigeon in the garden - pecked by magpies by the look of it. My grass is now nearly knee-high. I can't see it drying out enough to be able to mow for quite some time. TBH, I quite like it. I've never seen it look so good as the long grass is hiding all the weeds. 
The only downside of the rain is that many of the lovely new flowers I planted when it was last sunny have now died because they've been rotting in all the water. 
Lots of food and nest material being transported by various birds. Looks like it's going to be another noisy spring.
Re my post from a couple of days ago. I heard a bit of a commotion on my neighbours pond. Through my binoculars I saw the parent ducks charging across the water to the edge where a heron was in the process of plucking the last chick from the pond. It juggled it for a few moments in its beak and then swallowed it whole. All six gone now: and there was me blaming the crows.
My poor plants. I've had to pull lots of them up and by the look of these they'll be pulled by the weekend too. Waterlogged and rotting. And for the first time I had a huge crow in my garden eating the bird food but it flew off before I got downstairs with the camera. What with the magpies, pigeons and squirrels it's a wonder any of the nice birds get a look in.
Quote: Thanks to our pesky cats and there free offering I`ve just spent the forth evening trying to catch a wood mouse.
Last night after giving up I sat in front of the TV with a cup of tea only to find it staring at me across the room, I`d run out of energy
I solved that one with a humane trap baited with peanut butter on bits of bread. Then deported them to a wood seven miles away. They haven't been back. I caught eleven in total.
Quote: Re my post from a couple of days ago. I heard a bit of a commotion on my neighbours pond. Through my binoculars I saw the parent ducks charging across the water to the edge where a heron was in the process of plucking the last chick from the pond. It juggled it for a few moments in its beak and then swallowed it whole. All six gone now: and there was me blaming the crows.
Bloody herons ; one ate £25 worth of goldfish from my pond a few weeks ago.
Quote: The queen wasps are starting to look for nest sites. It is always a major battle keeping them out of my summerhouse. For some reason they seem to have a particular liking for it.
You can get some spray foam from tesco that dissolves the nest and kills all occupants.
Quote: Bloody herons ; one ate £25 worth of goldfish from my pond a few weeks ago.
We solved that problem using fishing line strung from a nearby tree at 12" gaps. It is hardly visible so doesn't look ugly like nets do and the herons are put off because they don't like risking getting their wings tangled.
Ian
The fishing line doesn't entangle wildlife, because it is strung taught and is only individual strands. It wouldn't actually entangle a heron either, they just decide not to take the risk.
I've heard mixed reports about the plastic herons and to be honest I think they are ugly.
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