I was interested in reading a letter in your paper about the decline of the thrush and how Mr Dominey rescued a thrush and removed a tick and it came back to say thank you.

In recent years we have been feeding the birds regularly and were pleased when a pair of thrushes had three babies.

Before they all left except one they brought them close to the house to show us.

The remaining one spends time eating the snails for us. With the decline of food and insects for the birds we have come to supply food and water several times a day.

We had 30 visiting pheasants at one time coming for breakfast, dinner and tea. We called the father Archie and he patrolled his territory around our smallholding.

The women started to peck up the lawn if no food was forthcoming. Claris and Phyllis, his two wives, came on the doorstep and one day Claris laid an egg which my friend had for tea. Maybe it was a thank you for all the sacks of wheat bought them over five years.

Sadly we have only two left to visit now and the decline we believe of the pheasants and song birds including the thrush is due to the sparrowhawk and other hawks.

In recent years they are wiping out our various birds we have observed. By the way, Archie came when called so even wild birds can learn.

MISS H WOOLDRIDGE,

Buckeridge Lane,

Rock, Bewdley.