A BEWDLEY man has had his own real-life Springwatch.

Like Bill Oddie on the BBC television series, Michael Condon, of Sabrina Drive, has followed the progress of birds hatched from eggs in his garden.

He found a pair of red-legged partridges had produced seven eggs on June 1, increasing to 12 by the following day.

He said: "I was having coffee on the patio when I heard the sitting bird begin to chuff-chuff. He or she became quite fidgety and raised itself up and started occasionally tapping the eggs gently with its beak. No chicks were evident by evening."

The following morning he went to the nest and found the eggs had hatched and the birds gone.

"Shortly after," he explained, "I found the parent with 12 chicks elsewhere in the garden. It seemed they were being taught how to peck and were eating small amounts of violet and thyme leaves.

"I left bird seed and water near the deserted nest and later found them all pecking at the seed and drinking the water.