It was cold and bright and we took the well trodden path through the woods and then onwards around Pen Ponds. There were lots of birds on the water and it was a treat to see a woodpecker as we made our way through the trees up to the Ballet School on the way home.



Then we witnessed an extraordinary scrap between some blackbirds and a number of marauding green parakeets who were trying to take over the tree the blackbirds had made their own. This noisy fracas lasted about fifteen minutes and included lots of aggressive swooping and screeching by both posses of birds. Here is a picture of a parakeet putting its 'brand' on said tree. The winner is unknown. Although very exotic looking, the parakeets have become a pest because of their growing numbers and aggressive attitude to native birds.