I’ve been away from my bird feeder for months and, on my return, one of my priorities is to restock it. This has become a ritual, and I feel great joy in observing the strict order in which the birds arrive.
I sit down and wait for the local population to remember my table and spread the word. It’s not long before they come in sequence, no less predictable than court etiquette. The first to venture for sunflower seeds is the robin. The blue tit, in a whirr of wings, comes a close second. These two act as food tasters. Other species, out of sight, watch intently to see if the daring survive. They do, so dunnocks arrive, then a pair of chaffinches, picking up spilt seeds from the ground.
