Nestlers or nobblers?

It's like an episode of Vikings out there.

I am not sure I can handle the stress. Murder on the dance floor? It's murder in the backyard. Or maybe not. I don't know. I'm too stressed to find out.

Right. So, there was this issue with the crows and the magpies. Last night, it was still on-going. Caws from one and chattering from the other.

I saw this magpie, in the front page photo, on the lookout. He seemed... anxious. He was chattering and shouting. Then he heard, and I heard, a raucous cawing from the park. I thought, what's going on? So did he and he flew off to find out. I was looking and thought maybe I saw a kite circling. But then, urgent screams from behind. Mrs Magpie burst out the nest and flew onto my roof, shouting for her mate.

Then, off she sped in hot pursuit.

Eggs! I thought, what about the bloody EGGS!!!

But the crows were nowhere to be seen... and maybe they'd already eaten them?

This morning, the noise was as upsetting. I went out. Saw I was being watched.

And then watched the Battle of the Corvids. Both crows in the magpies' nest and the magpies screaming.

What made matters worse was that one of the crows flew to the tree at the end of my garden and spoke to me, like CD does, the neck bent and the clicking. I said, 'Seeds?' That's how I say CD for short... if you see what I mean. And the crow flew back onto the roof of the pub.

I got my monocular and inspected him. No white patch on chest, no ruffled feather on back, no bald spot. It couldn't be my CD KILLING BABIES????

At that point, my boss, who was trying to tell me what to do for work, suggested that maybe they haven't laid eggs yet but were fighting over the territory. She said she'd seen that in her garden between magpies and crows.

This eased my mind a bit. So I left them to it.

But when I got out again in the evening, it was still like a siege. The crows on the roof of the pub and the magpies battening down the hatches in their hawthorn bush.

The crows seem to be in it for the long-haul.

Talking of long, this is a long video with nothing to show for it though you MIGHT make out the white of the magpie in the bush.

The crows got bored of me watching and flew off to the park. But in a matter of minutes they were back. Those magpies will have to be determined if they're to hold on to their property.

In the following dull video, a crow returns.

I mentioned something not so bad.

Well, I finally put out nesting material for the birds and already the great tits have shown interest in it. One flew onto this wire cage as soon as I went inside and started pulling strands. Then the bird saw I had also put some on the ground under the (dead) lilac and had a go at that. He might not have been strong enough to untangle it. I hope he is as it is lovely organic wool to keep baby birds cozy.

Another good thing was that I saw one of the robins happily bathing in the bird bath I put out. That is always incredibly sweet to see.

Finally, the back lilac is definitely not dead. He has started to sprout new leaves.