Female flycatcher arrived today

Today I noticed that the female flycatcher arrived!  here is a view of both birds. The black one is the male, the more browner bird is the female.

Such a great miracle that she also found my garden. I'm not sure if they are the same flycatchers as last year.  However to me it is amazing, that they found my garden again...coming all the way from Africa.

Also they both fly alone...not together..as she arrives mostly a week or ten days later. Both are eagerly inspecting all the nest boxes in my garden. The male had done some pre-work. He has been inspecting last week all the time...as well as chasing away all the other birds, like the coal-tits and the blue-tits, who also have an eye on the same nest-boxes. 

They are both very territorial and dominant, it looks like they win from the coals and blues.

Now is the question which nest-box is gone be chosen by the female. I think she makes the decision and then the building can begin.

Ladybird

 So sweet to see this ladybird sleeping in a beech-nut. 

Flycatcher is back!

 Flycatcher is back again from his faraway journey all the way from Africa!

I was expecting him to come, so I had an eye on the birds around.  You never can tell if they come and when. There are so many challenges on their way... its every year a delight to see him back in my garden, inspecting the nest boxes and the territory.

I still don't know if its always the same flycatcher, however every year there is a couple in my garden.

here is a link to all the other arrival times of the Flycatcher, when I saw him the first time.

Blackbird nest

 The blackbirds decided to make a nest in the ivy!

That's a great spot for me to be able to follow their progress.

squirrel

 Squirrel inspecting his favourite spot.