The birds never stop believing in the future. All morning, the female blackbird has been putting the finishing touches to her nest. The basic cup-shaped structure of twigs has been in place deep in the ivy above the garden pond for a week, and during the past few days I’ve watched her shovelling up great beakfuls of pond mud, to plaster the grasses into place.

This morning, she’s been adding the final “duvet” of moss. Then she’ll lay three to five eggs (blue as these glorious spring skies) and disappear into the ivy for a fortnight, to brood them. The male blackbird’s job is to defend the territory.