Noisy Neighbours ...

I've always found it much noisier down here living in the fields and rolling hills of Devon than in the suburbs of West London. Does that sound bonkers? Yes? Well just look who my neighbours are:

They're an extended family of very excitable house martins, who live in the barn next door. At this time of the year they're a boisterous bunch. Yesterday morning they got very bent out of shape when some of these fluffy little fledgeling goldfinches came into the yard.

The little guys looked like adolescents, who'd just fled the nest. And with all the excitement of having left home and struck out on their own, they didn't seem to be bothered about the commotion they were causing. Here's one of them having a stretch in the sunshine. They really are the cutest little chaps.

Here's another one, basking in the sunshine, and looking like he doesn't have a care in the world. 

The goldfinches flew off, and for a while things quietened down a bit, but then, later in the afternoon, the house martins went crazy again. 

We went out to see what was causing all the excitement, and found that these ladies had been moved into the paddock beside the barn.

Since then the Wonder Dog has taken to thinking that he's on a special Super Dog mission to save us from the dangerous herbivores chewing their cud in the paddock outside. It's amazing how long he can stand, watching them suspiciously through the window, barking at the top of his lungs to warn us of the peril outside. 

And all the while the house martins chatter excitedly on the roof of the barn, from where they take off to circle on their endless search for insects to hoover up on the wing.

London's going to seem really quiet after all this craziness!

Bonny x