Brutish crow rules roost when it comes to garden feeder

The songbirds are less insistent as summer draws on, but they are still active.

In local woodland, chiffchaff warblers and blackcaps for example, still add to the mix on sunny days.

Great spotted woodpeckers have been feeding on the fat-balls for weeks and now bring their youngsters too.

Some of the noisiest visitors are family groups of jackdaws that nested in a neighbour’s chimney-stacks, followed closely by the local magpies.

The clear pecking order at the fat-ball holder has magpies and jays near the top and jackdaws somewhat below.

Occasionally, a brutish carrion crow drops in and that seems to see off the others quite easily.

Smaller birds nip in to feed when the bigger species are away, or else are too busy squabbling with each other.

Adult birds generally dominate over immatures, except in the case of very demanding and often plump youngsters still being fed by the parents.

Males, often slightly larger and showier than females, tend to boss them at the feeders.