A great day for garden birding began with three Dunnock together on the feeder at around 8:30am. The pair that seem to be nesting in the neighbour's conifers have been seen regularly over the past weeks, but I'd not considered the possibility that others were visiting. An equally welcome sight was the single Coal Tit that joined them on the feeder and proceeded to visit regularly over the next twenty minutes, taking seed away into nearby cover and reappearing moments later. Throughout the time it visited, it began moving to cover further and further away, making its journey longer and longer.

Two Pied Wagtail were seen together on the ridge tiles of the school, and a pair of Greenfinch were on the seed feeder. A single (and scruffy looking) Long-tailed Tit was moving through the shrubs in neighbouring gardens and landed on a fence just long enough to focus the bins. Slightly later in the morning a single Stock Dove (garden tick) was seen flying over to the woods at the front.

In the evening two House Martin were flying back and forth over the back for quite some time, often close enough for good views. A male House Sparrow came to our conifer hedge for a few minutes, moving through looking for food. The Blue Tit drought had continued all day, but finally one landed on the TV ariel of the adjacent house, so all is well! Three large gulls flew over heading north-west towards the Pit Top, I could make out black wing tips, and were probably Herring Gull, but I couldn't be certain in the failing light.

Just as I was about to call it a day a Green Woodpecker flew over the houses at the back from the east into the large oak tree within the school grounds. It moved upwards through the tree with small flights and finally flew off towards the Pit Top. As I was closing the door a single Barn Swallow flew low over the houses and gardens towards ours before disappearing to the north through the gap between our house and the neighbour'. Altogether a great day of garden birding with a record 18 species recorded.