I was enchanted, during this morning’s local meander, to spot a pair of Long-tailed tits nest building – it seemed so appropriate for Mother’s Day, though in this case it may be a few weeks before the female bird becomes a mum.

The nest was almost totally hidden inside a tangle of bramble branches and, once the bramble leaves grow, will be completely obscured.

And the nest itself was only about one third built, so I’ve included, below right, a photo of a Long-tailed tit nest that I was shown a couple of years ago, after its occupants had fledged and the bush containing the nest had been chopped down. Of course, I’ll be heading back to this location to follow progress from a suitable distance.