A SURPRISE VISITOR

So we did have a summer this year, it was in May and June. July and August must be the new autumn!

The warm weather helped to give some wildlife better conditions to raise their young, but it then became too dry as all wildlife need water.

One of the major worries was the pond behind our house. It’s been home to coots, moorhens, reed beds with various insects, fish and a number of ducks. This is despite its relatively small size.

Unfortunately the farmer who owns the pond used almost all of its water to spray on his crops. While this is understandable, the system that was used had more leaks than a Wales farmer’s market or all the country’s water firms put together!

I noticed on a number of occasions the birds floating on what was left of the pond looking very confused with what had happened.

Since the rain started the pond has filled up thanks to an incoming small stream, but is now almost breaching the ‘dam’ wall at one end. It’s at the highest level I’ve seen in three years.

Unfortunately most of the wildlife will have either perished or found somewhere else to live/breed.

My pond is still teeming with life as the number of frogs increasing and tadpoles decrease. I’m not sure how many will survive the first year of life but I hope some will return to spawn when the time is right.

The garden is now in full bloom after and very well watered. The flowers and various plants, bushes and crops have attracted all sorts of insects, butterflies, and moths.

It’s fantastic to see so many of these creatures making our garden sufficiently interesting for them to visit, feed and breed.

This of course attracts birds and we’ve had frequent visits from the blue tits and great tits youngsters born in and around the garden.

One noticeable sight is the amount of goldfinches, swallows and swifts flying overhead or nearby feeding on the wing or in the surrounding fields and bushes.

But, the most exciting moment came when I noticed a bird I’ve never seen before was spotted nearby. It must live within 200m of our house as I’ve spotted it on numerous occasions observing the scene from the same lookout post.

The bird in questions is a little owl and we feel extremely grateful to be able to share our neighbourhood with us.

I first noticed it when a blackbird was issuing an alarm call in a field adjacent to our house. As it was still light I investigated what was bothering it and watched a similar sized bird fly up to a telegraph pole. I then noticed it on the same pole in the subsequent days and was able to identify it.

With a new arrival in our house due any day, updates may become infrequent as Sarah and I become enthusiastic parents! Hopefully we’ll do as well as our local wildlife.

THE CHICKS ARE BACK

I say the chicks (blue tits) are back, but obviously not in the nestbox, just visiting the garden for the titbits on offer.

I'm hoping they take a liking to any insects that eat any of my vegetables or roses!

It's been a quiet few weeks since the blue tit, great tit and blackbird chicks fledged, but the skies have been taken over by the swallow fledglings, with their enchanting summer song both on the wing and at rest on the telephone wires.

When they first fledged the swallow youngsters would sit on the edge of our roof calling for the parents to feed them.

But in the last few days the birds have been through their moult and are starting to return to the garden for food and maybe a glimpse of where they grew up.

The pond has suffered with the hot dry weather and I've been forced to add water to it. Luckily many of the tadpoles are now little frogs and are often seen resting on the edge of the pond and even exploring the surrounding rockery.

I'm hoping they utilise the pond from now on when required, especially as the big pond behind the house is almost empty after the farmer has continually drained it to feed crops.

What's most concerning about this pond is it's been designated a wildlife conservation area. So the draining of it makes a mockery of what it is there for in the first place.

THE MIRACLE OF FLEDGING

As spring turns into summer (not judging by the weather!), the circle of life is once again asking for auditions to join the big wide world.

The first from our garden to join was the robin family. I've not seen the chicks since their fledging in April/May, but I'm hopeful they'll be back soon after exploring the local neighbourhood.

I've been leaving the birds mealworms since April, to help supplement the diet of caterpillars and other tit bits provided to their young.

The main benefits have been the great tits in our garden and the blue tits in next doors. I still feel the blue tits are our family, as they only moved next door after the great tits took over 'their' nestbox.

Anyway the blue tit and great tit chicks were flapping their wings and chirping away for over a week, leading me to think they didn't want to leave the nest.

I came home about 8pm from work one night this week and witnessed a chick fledging bonanza. Two blue tit chicks were in the garden calling for food from their parents, while the great tit chicks were playing hide and seek with me in the hole of the nestbox - see video below.

With several cats lurking I managed to rescue both blue tit chicks and put them in the relative safety of the honeysuckle bush, while also watching the great tit chicks take it in turns to fledge or stay in the nestbox.

I watched from the lounge window as the blue tit parents then fed the youngsters, but grew anxious as the smaller chick failed to follow the others into a nearby tree.

With my mealworm handouts the parents of both blue and great tit chicks fed their fledglings in the same tree, while I waited to see if the smaller one's chirps would be heard and rewarded with a feed.

After a while it was obvious I had to intervene, so with careful hands I scooped the blue tit chick and placed it as high as possible in the tree its siblings were being fed in. With Springwatch on record, I was able to watch as the parents eventually recognised their offspring and began feeding it.

Meanwhile the great tit chicks had eventually all fledged (6 in all), although a little help from the parents tempting them with food was required.

I continued to watch the blue tits feeding their chicks, while the great tits seemed to have flown to another tree in the field next door to our house. Just as dusk was falling the rescued blue tit chick tried to fly further up but didn't quite make it, landing on the ground nearby.

This was when fate intervened in a way I find very unkind. One of the lurking cats must have been watching this fledging and feeding frenzy from closer than I thought, and pounced on the chick before rushing off.

I immediately raced after it and was joined in my pursuit by two blackbirds, a blue tit parent and several tree sparrows. Goodness knows what the neighbours thought!

Unfortunately the cat escaped my clutches and the blue tit parents had lost one of their offspring. I cruel blow after such tenacious and hard work bringing them to fledge.

While I accept nature will also pick off the old and weak, I don't accept domestic cats and their indiscriminate killings of wildlife.

The next morning the dawn chorus including the blue tit and great tit chicks calling for food, so I'm hopeful of them returning to our garden later in the summer.

I was amazed both sets of chicks chose to fledge at the same time, and at the precise moment I came home. It was as if they waited for their 'grandparent' to come home before saying bye and thank you for the food and accommodation.

Last year the blue tits did a similar fledging, waiting for a Saturday and me to be in the garden. I'm really pleased our garden seems to be a favourable place to nest and bring up chicks.

We've been here for three years and have seen two blue tit families, a great tit family and a robin family all successfully bring up chicks in those years. This year was the first time two families were raised on our garden, next year I'm hoping the blue tits come back and we make it three!

Now I must hope the blackbird chicks fledge soon, safely and with wonderful summer weather in which to explore the neighbourhood.

On a final note the tadpoles are now developing legs and should be hopping off in a few weeks time.

TO FLEDGE OR NOT TO FLEDGE?

After my predictions in the last post about the great tit and blue tit chicks fledging, it appears they like the comfort of their nextboxes too much!

Even with my regular mealworm handouts the chicks appear reluctant to enter the big wide world around our house.

The parents appear grateful of the handouts, as do the blackbird parents, while the robin makes occasional visits. The robins and their fledglings are probably busy exploring the neighbourhood so are rarely seen at the moment.

We're now able to eat, sit and work in the garden without causing any disturbance to the birds. We can be within two feet of the birds and nestboxes without any problem.

Indeed within seconds of me putting mealworms out both great tit and blue tit parents are feeding away.

The garden is now blooming lovely, no pun intended, and I'll be providing images of this in my next blog.

Dunnock and goldfinch parents are regularly seen feeding in our garden, while the dunnock chicks appear to have just fledged and making trips too, begging their parents for food!

The pond is thriving, along with the tadpoles, snails and other creatures living in and around it.

Only a few tadpoles appear to be growing legs, but those are in the early stages. I'm hoping to see fully formed frogs in early July.

Today I'll be carrying out a survey to see how many types of wildlife come into our garden for the RSPB. It only takes an hour and the results can be filled in online. Go to www.rspb.org.uk/naturecount to do yours.

Finally I was away from my office at Connect PR yesterday when news came through of a fledgling great tit flying through an open window. My colleagues donned their wildlife caps and ensured the bird was soon free and exploring outside the building, rather than tweeting with everyone.

GARDEN IS ALIVE WITH CHICKS

The spring heat is finally bringing the garden into full bloom. The fruit and veg seeds are showing signs of growing and the various chicks in and around the garden are gradually leaving their nests.

The robin chicks fledged about a month ago now, but the great tits are due to fledge any day now. I can hear them from inside the house now, every time they are fed.

The blackbird family are in a bush next door and the recent wet weather has helped the parents pick up mouthfuls of worms for the chicks to gorge on.

After being usurped by the great tits after two years in the birds' 'favourite' nestbox in my garden, the blue tits have taken up residence in my other next door neighbours' house. They nested in a hole vacated by the removal of a drainage pipe from the bathroom.

It's a brilliant place to nest and I think they'll be back there next year. Luckily both my neighbours are good with wildlife and like the birds being around.

Yesterday while out my bike on Frodsham Marshes I heard the first cuckoo of the year and also saw the fantastic aerobatic skills of a hobby as it swooped, glided and move like a jet fighter during combat over the fields, tress and banks.

As I live on the edge of the marsh it's great to know these two rare birds are living near me. As I put my bike in the garage a sparrowhawk swooped low over me, obviously hoping to catch a small bird by surprise in the nearby fields.

This morning one of the local goldfinch parents brought a youngster to feed in my garden. It was a brief visit but another reason to love where I live.

The tree sparrows are a constant visitor along with the woodpigeons who are nesting in a tree opposite my house.

Our resident cock pheasant is also heard at least once a day and has regularly been seen with at least one female.

With greenfinches, dunnocks and pied wagtails among the other birds seen daily, the dawn chorus is a wonderful alarm call every day.

The tadpoles are growing bigger in my little pond. I've left them alone but will be taking a closer look in the next couple of weeks to see if any are growing legs.

Finally my partner Sarah has organised the window boxes and hanging baskets along with bulb planting in on of the borders. With the honeysuckle flowering the garden is looking lovely.

Pics will be up shortly.

GARDEN UPDATE IN SUNSHINE

The weather is finally behaving like it is spring and the wildlife seems to be back in the full swing of reproducing.

My garden’s robins may have fledged one brood, but it seems they or another pair are busy feeding another lot of youngsters nearby.

Both parents seem to know when I’ll be putting the mealworms out and have become quite tame.

The great tits nesting in the old blue tit’s nestbox are also keen on the mealworms and I’m hoping their chicks will fledge this weekend.

As for the blue tits I’m still waiting to see if they’ve nested in the third nestbox, but I’m sure they’ve chosen another place to bring up their new family.

The tadpoles and pond/rockery area is vibrant, with the young frogs developing nicely and seemingly enjoying life in a pond that is full of life, both flora and fauna.

The rest of the garden is coming to life with a big planting session planned for this weekend. Fingers crossed the vegetable, fruit, herb and flower planting will bring success throughout the spring, summer and autumn.

NEW LIFE IN THE GARDEN

With new life struggles to be introduced to the political scene in this country, there's lots of young and refreshing life in my garden.

The robins have already raised and fledged one brood, although one was sadly killed by a cat shortly after leaving the nest. But the other four young robins are now exploring their new territory.

Not sure if the blue tits have taken up residence in the third of four nestboxes after being usurped from the one they had occupied for the last two years, but I'm leaving them to it for now.

The great tits appear to have hatched chicks and I'm hoping the mealworms I'm providing help them raise their brood along with other nearby small bird families.

The swallows are providing us with brilliant aerial displays and have been joined in recent days by swifts, which are making a welcome return.

Bees are collecting nectar from plants, bushes and fruit trees in and around our garden and it's good to see natures main pollinators in such huge numbers.

Finally the tadpoles are making good progress and have brought the pond full circle, from a puddle of water to one that contains all sorts of life - not bad for such a small water feature.

More news and pics early next week.

NEW LIFE

I went away for a week, that was then delayed for a further five days due to the Icelandic volcano, and I've come back to a garden full of new life with more promised.

A very quick update on the main points:

1. The robins appear to have small chicks as both parents are dashing to and from the nest with live meals including worms and the mealworms I've provided. I'll not be going near the nestbox and hope to get images and video from afar. The robins are friendly so hopefully they'll allow me to work in the garden while they feed and then fledge their chicks.
2. The great tits have taken over the blue tit nest box and are busy building a nest. I did think they were feeding chicks but on closer inspection it appeared to be horse hair, or something similar.
3. The usurped blue tits look to have chosen a new nestbox and could be building a nest. It's close to the front door so I don't want to disturb them too much by constantly looking. But if this is true then we'll have three new families in the garden this spring.
4. The tadpoles in the pond have grown and most appeared to have survived the transfer from Yorkshire, so I'm really pleased.
5. The garden and surrounding trees and bushes are now coming into leaf, with blossom brightening up the place. There's been plenty of bees around the garden and I'm hoping for a spectacular spring and summer of wildlife watching.

On a final note today has seen the return of the swallows. A lovely sight as they glide serenely over the house and farm buildings. I suspect they delayed their return and followed me back on Saturday. ;~)

PONDLIFE

What a wonderful weekend of spring weather we've just had. Warm and sunny, just like spring should be on Saturdays and Sundays.

The birds in and around my garden are now in full voice and it was lovely to be woken by them this morning rather than the usual alarm.

While I wait for the first song of my favourite bird the swallow, I love listening to the huge variety of birds including robin, blackbird, blue tit, great tit, dunnock and tree sparrow.

The pheasant is also now becoming a daily singer along with the now seemingly resident chiffchaff, while the greater-spotted woodpecker is making a daily appearance after taking a fancy to the big fat snack on the bird table.

I noticed from the comfort of my bed early this morning a woodpigeon picking dead twigs from the outbuildings next door. It's nest must be very near as it was back very quickly for more.

The activity around the nestboxes has seemingly faded, although this could be due to me giving the birds space and peace to get the breeding process going.

I've started to introduce mealworms to the feeding system as I fade out the usual peanuts and fat snacks.

The biggest development is the pond as I watch the tadpoles hatch and now swim amongst the vegetation. I'm hoping they grow quickly and emerge as froglets soon.

The pond and rockery has been left undisturbed since it was rejuvenated last summer and I'm very pleased at how it now looks.

The blossom of the greengage tree is also an awesome sight, especially as it overlooks the pond and rockery.

I hope next time I update this blog they'll be some positive news on the nestboxes.

You can see the main tit box on the wall but the robin one is on the right of the picture halfway up.

PONDLIFE

A major development has occurred in the pond today, a huge gathering of frogspawn.

I can't say the frogs have found the pond as I nicked it from Sarah's parents' pond earlier today. You could say I've 'adopted' some frogspawn.

It'll be a few days before I know if it's been successful, but I'll keep the blog updated with any news.

As we've been away since Sunday I'm not aware of any news on the blue tits and great tits bartering over the nestboxes.

I should be able to see more of the favourite nestbox tomorrow and hopefully confirm the spring residents.

The garden appears to be waking from the enforced winter hibernation with many bulbs and plants from last year coming back to life. Hopefully we'll have a colourful display in April and May.

Finally the greengage tree is now in full blossom with numerous bees at work collecting nectar.

I'm now going to eat my Easter eggs and hope the birds have some eggs of their own soon.

More updates later this week.

TIT UPDATE

The sun is out, the blossom is glistening and the birds are in full song as spring shows its face again.

It appears there's a bidding war going on over the blue tit nestbox with the blue tits, being usurped by two fighting pairs of great tits.

The smaller blue tits have been watching on as the great tits fight over the nestbox. It's obviously a good site, but hopefully the other two tit nestboxes will be used once the battle for the favourite one is concluded.

No sign of the robin around its nestbox today, hopefully the nest is already built and the pair are waiting for the egg laying day.

The dunnocks are flirting outrageously with each other, although I'm not sure where they're nesting.

Not seen the chiffchaff since it's two brief appearances, but hopefully as the spring warms up it'll make frequents trips to the garden.

No further news on the pond but hope to have some on Monday!

WINTER RETURNS

Just when we thought spring had sprung, winter unleashed another spell of treacherous weather to most parts of the UK.

If you didn't get snow, then you will have noticed the drop in temperature, just when the first blossom of the season had started to liven the bare shrubs, trees and countryside.

The weather has also dampened the spirits of the local birds, with nestbuilding and courtships of the robins, blue tits, great tits and dunnocks (among others) slowing down.

The activity around the nestboxes is continuing and the birds are certainly pairing off and the flocks shrinking.

With a wet Easter forecast I'm hoping the weather improves so the wildlife can get on with the season of breeding and provide a summer spectacle of new faces in the garden.

The pond is continuing to thrive, although no signs of frogspawn. Hopefully next week will bring some good news.

Happy Easter everyone.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

It's been a while since I last updated this blog, but with the extreme cold weather I, like the wildlife, have spent most of the time trying to stay warm.

Over the winter I've provided the local wildlife with numerous typical winter food, from peanuts to fat snacks and all kinds of seeds.

The regular feeds have resulted in an increasing number of visitors to the feeders and below them, including jays, pheasants and the now regular great-spotted woodpecker.

Over the last two weeks the four nestboxes I have in the garden have attracted numerous enquiries for spring residents, including the returning blue tits - the reason why I started this blog.

But to my surprise and delight, two more of the nestboxes look like being occupied. Below the blue tit box, a robin is building a nest in the honeysuckle, while a great tit is making frequent visits to another nestbox on the other side of the garden.

With the clocks going forward I'll be able to check up on the new residents next week and update with images and video.

One exciting development was a new bird for my garden this morning, a chiffchaff. Think he/she may have arrived back in this country a little too late to take up residence in my garden, though you never know!

The pond has developed nicely since last year and is now crystal clear, thanks to extreme winter cold no doubt. I spotted a couple of frogs on the road the other night and I'm hoping they use my pond to deposit their frog spawn.

Finally I spotted a male chaffinch doing something very weird last weekend. It appeared to be trying to fight with a reflection of itself in my car wing mirror. It did this on two days and after that was spotted doing it to a neighbours car.

Anyway below is the video of it, with your thoughts welcome.

A NEW SEASON

After the excitement of last year, I'm really looking forward to a new season of Blue Tit Watch.

I've been feeding the birds with seed, fatty snacks, peanuts and most importantly water during the extremely cold winter and have found some wonderful surprises.

A flock of goldfinches and tree sparrows are using one of the trees to roost and one evening I watched them mob a sparrowhawk that was resting on a branch.

The following list of birds has taken advantage of my food supply with a few surprises:

Blue tit, great tit, long-tailed tit, tree sparrow, chaffinch, blackbird, dunnock, robin, great-spotted woodpecker, pheasant, goldfinch, song thrush, starling, woodpigeon, jay and magpie.

I've noticed recently the blue tits taking an interest in the next box used for the last two years, although they now have a choice of four next boxes spread around the garden in different locations.

This blog will gradually deliver daily updates as the cold winter is replaced by the warming glow and scents only spring can offer.