THE 'DROUGHT' CONTINUES AND A SURPRISE RETURN

Despite the rain, wind and minor floods, the 'drought' continues, although it didn't put off the return of summers most welcomed visitor.

Yes that's right, the swallows returned on Thursday evening about 6pm, just before a torrential downpour that lasted for hours and caused the stream down our lane to flood the road.

I can only imagine what they thought, but the next couple of days they were seen dancing in the sky, seemingly revelling in being back at their summer home.

I was slightly worried that they wouldn't return for some reason or another, though reports on social media seems to suggest most have delayed their return to these shores until about now.

So the only question now is, when will they confirm the nest site?

The nestbox camera on the great tits isn't working still, so I'm forced to guess what is happening inside. I'm sure the nest is fully built, but not sure if any eggs have been laid, mainly due to the weather.

The May weather forecast could be for more wet, windy and cool conditions, which won't help them too much. I'm not sure this year will be a good breeding time, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

In other news the tree and house sparrow groups visiting the garden seem to be getting bigger, though I'm not sure if they're nesting. Maybe next year I'll get a combined nestbox for them to use.

The blackbirds, robins and dunnocks appear to be in the garden every few hours, while a pair of goldfinches is now making more regular visits along with a pair of magpies.

A pair of blue tits is also in the garden on a daily basis and I think they're nesting nearby again. When the rain stops I'll make a more detailed search to confirm any nest sites.

PROPER SPRING WEATHER BRINGS GROWTH

After the recent cold weather that replaced the warmth of March, the traditional April showers have brought life to the flora in my garden and the nearby lanes and fields.

The heavy rain and warm sunshine are helping trees show plenty of green leaves, while my rockery and slowly diminishing pond are full of colour.

I'm still waiting for the swallows to return, but I have finally seen my first one of 2012. I watched as one swooped over the road as was driving on near my work in Wolverhampton.

I still find it strange that despite the thousands of miles I drive each month to various parts of the country that I have only seen a glimpse of one swallow this year.

My eyes will be scouring the sky for any sign of the returning swallows this week as I'm becoming a little concerned that they haven't come back.

The nestbox camera has failed again, meaning I'm not sure what stage the great tits are at in terms of nest building.

I've seen a lot of activity in and around my garden from them but without the camera I'm a little unsure.

Other birds that have increased their presence include the numerous tree sparrows, the odd house sparrow and the usual robins, dunnocks and blackbirds.

I've had magpies regularly in the garden, which appears to be to gather nesting material, although the smaller birds are issuing alarm calls when they are around.

I think the female blackbird is on eggs as she's not been around in the last couple of days, but I don't know where.

I'm hoping these heavy thunderstorms and rain will relent and the sunshine will provide the warmth to help the parent birds gather caterpillars and similar grubs for their young.

This weekend I'll try to fix the camera as I feel it could be too late in a week or two.

SPRING ON HOLD

I talked about cooler weather in my last post, but didn't expect some of the conditions parts of the UK suffered from.

The heaviest April snowfall in Yorkshire for 30 years came this week and many roads in nearby north Wales and the Peak District closed due to snow.

Luckily our garden didn't see any of it and although it was cold, the wildlife was able to stock up on food to see them through until now, when it's back to typical weather for this time of year.

The change in weather hasn't attracted any new visitors to the garden, although I have seen more of the goldfinches.

The nestbox camera is still not working but I'm hoping Easter will give me time to fix it, or attempt to!

I know the great tits are still about and I do wonder if they've built the nest yet.

The robins seem to be visiting the garden less frequently so I wonder if nest building is taking most of their time.

Following the blackbirds mating I've noticed the female has been seen less around the garden, while the male is around the same. The other night I saw him having a tremendous tug-of-war with a worm; when he eventually won the worm was almost as long as the blackbird.

Today I'm going to get out and about exploring the trees, hedgrows, bushes and fields to see what's new and who's about.

More updates and hopefully pictures, later this weekend.