Well I wasn't thinking of a bird-spotting thread, I was wondering what other people had found with regard to the apparent demise of common birds.

This afternoon, I saw three Coot, seven Moorhens, umpteen Mallard, a Heron and (what I think was) a common Gull.

However, I didn't see the birds I'd usually expect to see so why not?

What I did see was plenty of Grey Squirrels! I'd say there are far too many of them. They've already stripped all the nuts off the Hazel bushes/trees and I don't know if the Beech Nuts are falling naturally or whether they're stripping those as well, the ground beneath Beech trees are covered with the open shells.

I've long suspected Grey Squirrels (often referred to as tree rats!) to have raided the nests of our common birds and wonder if anyone has any certain knowledge that's the case?