I have to admit I like gulls. They're colourful, they have beautiful knowing eyes, they treat humans with the disrespect a species that shows other species disrespect deserves, they are intelligent, resourceful and patient. The one at school had a habit of perching high and looking disdainfully, condescendingly, contemptuously down at us. Humans deserve such treatment.

Scientists probe gulls' 'weird and wonderful' appetites

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2erkry8jn8o 

University of Salford ecologist Dr Alice Risely wants people to upload their snaps of hungry gulls to the project's website, Gulls Eating Stuff.

- put it out at a different time (the squirrel will take perhaps three days to work that out)?

- connect the wire cage round the bird table, fitted to discourage another pest i.e. pigeons , to the electricity mains?

- buy an air rifle?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2d8mrlp8vo 

I tolerate our local grey squirrel, making sure feeders can't be knocked to the ground.  Reducing the quantity of feed helps - so the birds get most of it and also clear the "deck" before the sq turns up. Use of an air rifle depends on degree of risk to the public. In my last place I bought a squirrel trap and executed the victims IRA style in the trap. No need for marksmanship. No risk to anything else. Some people here drown them in a water butt - just dropping the trap in - but I've not got to that stage of desperation yet. You could try baffles. e.g.

https://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/collections/squirrel-baffles 

Only joking - though my father-in-law, an otherwise mild-mannered minister did have one and took potshots in urban London😮😮😮

Folks do use weapons unwisely and in unsuitable places. I gave away my air rifle when I moved to the middle of this village, overlooking The Green! A gamekeeper friend was wanting to get a grandson his first air rifle - so this was the obvious solution. We had a rat problem at our last place. One used to feed from the enamel bowl we used for the duck food. So one day I shot it when feeding at the bowl and the ducks went crackers. The were really cross. I had not known they regarded it as a friend. It was warning quacks for weeks whenever they saw me!   🦆🦆🦆🐀

On our drive out to the Wash this afternoon there were plenty of field workers bring in the crops of Daffodils ready to go the shops, no doubt. Quite a lot of fields with those in up this way.

Wildly though there's plenty of Snowdrops and crocuses in bloom but no wild daffodils blooming yet. It won't be too much longer though, just some warmth and sun and I'm sure they'll be on display.

I did get to see a golden pheasant darting across a filed though.

chttps://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0028nf0/the-americasreatures  call home.

Windy as the nearest might be the most interested in this. A cracking birdfeed supplier - founded by one of the county "greats" in Farming and Conservation.

https://www.vinehousefarmshopcafe.co.uk/ 

It's not far from the LWT Deeping Lakes Nature Reserve.  [Sorry - no dogs!]

https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/deeping-lakes 

They are the most reliable arrivals. Normally 15th-25th of March.

Also crossbills/siskins in the coniferous woodland a few miles away. And skylarks on the valley side. Sadly, the woodlarks our valley used to have are gone. What a delight it would be to hear one again!

That's practically on my doorstep so thank you for this, we may end paying a visit there soon as we have some special occasion days to mark, very imminently, so this would do nicely for at least one of them.

Also  not a problem about the no dogs part, it turns out our "old" dog really isn't much of a car traveler, but we will keep taking him out to the Marshes, Just have to cover the car seats and footwells for easy cleanup when we get back home.

My garden has nettles and (thanks to my late neighbour) hops, both of which are apparently favoured by peacock caterpillars.

It's quite ironic, really; I know my neighbours on the other side think my garden is untidy, but as I mentioned to them the other day the semi-wild areas of it - out of public view, of course - are the reason why there are so many butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies around in the summer. Their own garden is a patch of grass and a massive patio, no flowers, no shrubs, definitely no trees, and that carries on all the way up the road. You don't see many butterflies etc up there for some reason....

Great. My aim is to get you addicted to Lincolnshire as much as I am! 😁🥂

Google "Parsons famous Lincolnshire people"

Heard my first chiff chaff on Sunday. The blackbirds have only really got going over the last few days, unlike the Robin that has my garden as its base and who has been full pelt for weeks!

It's not too difficult 😁I'm already cultivating my addiction, as there's a talk in the local Methodist Church Hall next month, a History in pictures, which I am looking forward to as it's by the same chap who gave a short talk there, back in January, on historical farming in the locality, during the Plough service, which had me curious enough to attend. I'd never heard of such a service before but the talk was very enlightening 👍and it was lovely to see some pictures of the area from the past 100 years or so and to compare how much has changed. Apparently there was a river Moulton before the area was drained!

https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/ 

Useful wasp ID page:

https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/insects-invertebrates/british-wasp-guide-how-to-identify-common-species-lifecycle-and-why-wasps-sting-in-autumn 

I make use of the BWARS website:

https://bwars.com/ 

Watching today, I saw the [correction] - female - Osprey being harassed by a pair of crows. She's left the scene for now - and they finished off some scraps of fish he had left in the nest. I expect she'll be back at dusk to guard the nest. The pair of them should be better able to deal with such pestering.

https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam/