Jackdaws! I kind of like them, but they do appear to have increased in numbers in my area in the last few years. Anyone else notice a rise in their population?

After living here for decades, it was a few years ago when I had to take action to mesh off the chimney pots once I noticed they were dropping sticks down to nest build. Then, last winter, they were emptying the bird-feeders of kgs of peanuts in a few minutes, needing drastic action to ensure more equal shares with the other birds visiting the garden.

To be frank, I enjoyed the challenge of devising a system that gave the chaffinches, blue-tits and the like a fair chance, but also allowed bigger birds like the local woodpeckers some access. This spring though, even without the tempting attraction of bird food, they're often squawking around at first light (4:00 am ish!), which is probably their way of getting their own back - such bright little critters