What a nature filled day

This blackbird waited till the dragonfly hatched and then filled his beak with it and then more food from my feeder before flying off to feed young.  This was taken before 7 a.m.  I had the trail camera out last night and the cubs featured well, playing in my nature  wood.  Triggered by the sight of the dragonfly in the blackbird beak I then went to the community garden to see if I could photograph a hatching at the ponds.  Two dragonflies were obliging and over a couple of hours I caught the development, from leaving their previous stage as a nymph and unfolding the body, elongating their wings and finally snapping them out from their shoulders and taking flight. While waiting for the action I heard kerfuffles coming from the wire netting encasing one of our greenhouses which is now used as a fruit cage.  4 very large squirrels were chasing and playing.  I crept up to watch and saw them wrestling with the net over a strawberry patch, tearing it and getting a bit caught up .  They failed to get strawberries so they each took a large radish and leapt on top of the greenhouse again, nibbling their trophy (see extra) before leaving for the neighbouring garden. I noticed the fruit cage door was open and went in to nibble the raspberries for they are ripe already.  A black cap (bird) had got in overnight and it took all day trying to get it out until finally a square of wire netting on the roof was removed to release it. I had lots of tomato plants to plant - it has been a difficult time and we have failed to sell as much as usual.  The air suddenly became alive with buzzing above my vegetable bed and a swarm of bees took up residence in the yew tree hanging over the tool shed.   The bee lady was phoned and she dashed down to collect them but sadly they took off again just before she arrived.  This evening I went to do a rose dead heading (I look after the formal rose garden for the Council) and saw a large rat enter greenhouse 2 and then we were visited by a woodpecker.  What a lovely day.