Harry

At first, I hated the squirrel thieving from the birdfeeder, but now I love him  - he could be a she, but I call him Harry - and worry if I haven't seen him for a couple of days. Last week, he jumped into the magpies' nest and they chased him. Bizarrely, the magpies' nest has now shrunk to a few twigs, so I guess they have moved housed (I asked RSPB if magpies dismantle their nests and take them with them, but they said more likely other birds have been using bits of abandoned nest). The day before yesterday, Harry appeared with a geometric bald patch on his right shoulder, looked like he'd been shaved before surgery, I was horrified, but it didn't look like he'd been attacked or bitten. It seems squirrels molt in spring (and autumn),  and localised bald patches can appear. I hope this is the reason he looks like his fur has been ironed (also read fur loss can happen when mating). Saw a coal tit, looked like a tiny gorgeous badger from the back. And a wee jumpy brown bird with high legs (maybe a lady blackbird, I have no idea). And woodpigeons are just so greedy and bulky. They circle/amble/peck round the garden like buses in  a depot. I would like to ban them but that would be a kind of apartheid.