With the arrival of April, I decided to take down my garden bird feeders.

There were two basic reasons for this. Firstly, by the end of March as the nesting season begins, natural food such as caterpillars and assorted insects becomes widely available and birds no longer have to rely on our offerings of nuts and sunflower seeds.

They will have built up fat reserves by feasting on what we provided over the winter and certainly the frequency with which birds take advantage of the feeders lessens as April gets into its stride.

Secondly, there is a school of thought that suggests there could be a possible choking hazard if fledglings are fed pieces of nut or seed too large for them to cope with.

Whether or not this is a proven fact I don’t really know. However, last spring a brood of five great tits died in my nestbox after about 10 days. I’m not aware of the reason for their demise but I’m taking no chances this year.

Twelve species of bird used my feeders during the winter, while woodpigeon, blackbirds, thrushes, jays and a woodmouse tidied up the titbits that fell from above.

Most species coped well with the so-called “squirrel-proof” feeders, even – perhaps surprisingly – dunnocks.

However, the robin was the exception, making futile attempts to perch, often slipping off, hovering, until finally getting a grip and taking his fill.