HOUSE SPARROWS MOVING ABODE?

The end of this week was a washout, but far from it being the norm – as per 2012 – it seems to be just a blip in the summer proceedings.

The house sparrow chicks in the camera nestbox are almost ready to go and I suspect they could have even gone by the time this post is uploaded, or you have read it.

I can count just the two chicks, although the noise they make does suggest many more should be inside there. You try counting them in the best of the early images below!

It’s hard to make out the chicks on some days because the nesting material, which is very high in the nestbox due to it being on the blue tit’s nest, often obscures the view as the parents often knock things as they enter the nestbox with food.

Luckily the last day or so has presented us with a clearer view and the chicks are very noticeably house sparrows with the feathers patterns easy to determine, even in black and white as the latest image shows – you can clearly see the two chicks

 

I was surprised by this new nest in my garden, as it was the first time house sparrows had nested here, but it appears that it might not be the only pair nesting in my garden this summer.

Early one morning I noticed that a pair of house sparrows were flying to and from the new terraced nestbox I’d put up in early spring.

On closer inspection they were both gathering nesting material and seem to be building a new nest, which is a little strange considering it’s nearly July.

I’ll be taking a closer look later this weekend to see if they’re still building or if the wet weather has hampered them.

The good news is this should mean next year the triple nestbox should be occupied, at least one of the ‘homes’ anyway.

In other news the blue tits and great tits have started to be seen a little more, with the robins, dunnocks and blackbirds not showing at all.

The great spotted woodpecker male has been seen again and is devouring the fat snack I’ve put up; I wonder if he’s still got young and is struggling to find more natural food.

One thing I did witness was a young swallow being chased by a small bird of prey, which I presume was a hobby.

The swallow seemed to get away by diving into a hedge just behind my house, although I only saw the battle for a few seconds and couldn’t then see what happened afterwards.

Obviously I don’t like seeing the swallows being predated, but with so many in the skies this summer it’s good to know last year’s drop in fledglings has hopefully been evened out by a larger than normal amount this year.

My nest plan is to find out if hedghogs are living around my garden and if not, contact a couple of rescue centres to provide a home for them. Updates soon.

SWALLOWS, SUMMER STORMS AND NESTBOX CAMERA WORKING!

I’m not sure how it happened, but the nestbox camera is now working again and it’s revealed the house sparrow chicks, although mainly in voice rather than in pictures.

The nest has been built on top of the blue tit nest and is so high up in the nestbox, that it obscures most of the view afforded by the camera.

Luckily, through the nest material you can sometimes make out movement from the chicks, a visit from the parents and the odd wide chick gape – look to the left hand side of the image below.

 

But most of all you can hear them chirping away, particularly when the parent birds arrive.

Now I know the chicks are fairly big, I’m attempted to move the material covering the camera and see if a better image can be provided. Here's the result.

 

The weather this weekend has been awful, with Sunday bringing autumn-like conditions. The good thing is this should be a one-off day of weather and warmer conditions should return next week.

It’s good news for the house sparrow chicks too, as they should be ready to fledge in about 3-5 days and will be strong enough to withstand the odd day of heavy rain, high winds and cool temperatures.

House sparrows around my garden and the close vicinity appear to be in high numbers, with a number of freshly fledged youngsters filling the air with unsteady flight and incessant calling to their parents for food.

I’ve also had a visit from a blue tit family, although whether it’s the same one that used the camera nestbox, I’m not sure.

The swallows and swifts appear to have had a good year as I’ve not seen them in such huge numbers for a few years.

In the evening, and sometimes the morning, the airwaves are filled with swallow songs, with the swifts often appearing alongside their fast flying cousins.

Swallows are one of my top three birds, along with peregrine falcons and ospreys, so to see them is probably my favourite vision and sound of our springs and summers.

The robins, blackbirds, great tits, dunnocks and magpies are heard rather than seen at the moment, although I do get fleeting glances of them from time to time.

Let’s hope as summer progresses that the small birds continue to raise more youngsters and those that fledge come to visit my garden in due course.

But most of all let’s hope that summer delivers some sun and conditions that favour a successful breeding season to make up for last year.

A NEW FAMILY IN MY NESTBOX

Two main bits of news since my bizarre video from a few days ago. First of all thank you to those people who told me that the bizarre video was of ermine moth caterpillars. The fully grown moth is below.

The blue tits’ nestbox (the one with the camera that still doesn’t work) now has house sparrow chicks in, which I can hear calling for food.

I’ve never heard of this kind of behaviour before (a bird taking over another nest immediately after the first birds fledged), although, as previously mentioned in my blog, I did find a dead house sparrow in the nest of the blue tits a few years ago.

It’s great to know that two species of bird have utilised the same ‘house’ that I’ve provided for wildlife, and good to know the mealworm, peanut and seed hand-outs I provide are being used to help raise the next generation.

I’m not sure when the house sparrow chicks will fledge but suspect they have another three or maybe five days left in the nest.

In other news the robin chicks have visited the garden with one of the parent birds and made use of the mealworms I’m still providing.

The great tits and blue tits have not been seen in or around the garden for a few days and I suspect they’re not far away, just skulking in the hedges, bushes and trees while the parents undergo the annual moult.

There seems to be plenty of young birds about, much more than last year, including magpies, blackbirds, goldfinches, chiffchaffs and long tailed tits.

A large family of long tailed tits visited the garden this week and I counted nine, which may not mean seven youngsters as there might also have been a couple of cousins and siblings of the parent birds.

The good news has been a dramatic increase in the amount of bees visiting the flowers in the garden. The foxgloves have been a particular favourite with roses and pyracantha a taking second place.

Let’s hope the summer can deliver some good conditions for continued growth and prosperity of all wildlife, to make up for last year.

BIZARRE SUMMER SPECTACLE

While out on my bike on Frodsham Marshes I came across a line of elderflower bushes that appeared to have been covered in a tangle of webs.

Upon closer inspection the 'webs' were interlinked, attached the to ground and had tens of thousands of caterpillars crawling all over them.

This is the second year in a row I've seen them and the same scene continued for about 400 yards along this track. No other shrubs or trees were affected.

Can Springwatch help solve this? Watch the video on my YouTube site to see it all http://youtu.be/H7WaFh8t8NA

 

UNUSUAL NEST SITES

While attending a wedding at a small church hall in rural North Yorkshire I noticed two unusual nest locations.

 

A pair of swallows, which were on eggs, had nested inside the porch of the hall (first two images) while a pair of blue tits had small chicks in a crack in a wall next to the rear door.

 

Both pairs carried on as normal, despite over 60 people spending about five hours in and around the hall.

 

I took these images the next day and can confirm the birds were none the worse for the wedding party, indeed they appear to take it in their stride as the hall is often busy with events of all kinds.

 

SWALLOW NEST

 

 

 

 

BLUE TITS NEST 

SUMMER IS HERE, WELL FOR NOW ANYWAY

A week of lovely early summer weather has been enjoyed by all forms of life, wild and human.

The railway bridge robin family is still gathering mealworms from my garden, although I suspect the chicks have fledged, as the parent birds dart of in different directions each time they pick up a mealworm delivery.

I’m hoping the parents bring the chicks to the garden, as they have done in previous years, although I’ll just have to wait and see.

As I’m writing this outside in the morning sun, the parents are buzzing all around me, calling at me and looking forlornly in my direction. It’s weird but they have done it so many times recently that I know they’re basically asking for my next supply of mealworms!

The blackbird parents are busy gathering food too and making use of the mealworms hand-outs for their chicks. The nest is behind our house and near the horse stable where the swallows are nesting.

Just now a swallow has burst into song and it’s probably my favourite sound of summer.

The blue tits have not been seen all week and I suspect the parents have taken the chicks to explore the wider area, while they begin their moult.

I’ve only seen fleeting glances of the great tits, so suspect the chicks have fledged and will soon be heading off just like the blue tits.

The one surprise has been the house sparrows. At least two families have fledged chicks, with some even being fed in the garden.

But the strangest news is around a pair of house sparrows that has built a nest in the camera nestbox, on top of the old blue tit nest.

Most years a pair of house sparrows has inspected the camera nestbox, but usually after it’s been occupied. In 2011 I found a dead house sparrow in the nest of the great tit family when clearing the nestbox out in the autumn.

This behaviour is something I’ve never seen or heard of before and I’ll be keeping a close eye on this as the month progresses.

My only disappointment is that the camera is still not working!

The flora in the garden has burst into life and the foxgloves are about to open the flowers and provide bees and butterflies with an ample supply of nectar.

 

HOW MUCH CAN CHANGE IN A WEEK IN WILDLIFE?

What a difference a week makes, not just for politics but for wildlife too.

The weather has miraculously changed into summer mode and looks like it could hold out for at least another week – perhaps getting even warmer than it is now!

While last weekend was very nice Bank Holiday Monday was wet, windy and cool, but it didn’t stop the first major fledging of the year – well the first one I officially know of.

 

I'm sat here in late evening typing this post as a robin is scouring the garden just inches from me, before breaking out in to song, which I roughly translate as being - Where Are My Mealworms!

 

The blue tits appear to have gone and this year they didn’t come and say goodbye, which is what happened in 2010 as the picture below will demonstrate.

I didn’t see any of the blue tit chicks actually outside of the nestbox, but did see the adults trying to entice them outside with caterpillars – despite the weather going from sunshine to heavy rain on the Bank Holiday Monday.

I suspect that at least one of the two robin families that have been visiting my garden and feasting on the mealworm hand-outs have also fledged, and the other family based by the railway bridge must surely be almost ready to go.

One of the house families has definitely fledged in the last couple of days as yesterday I saw at least three chicks begging to be fed by the adults, before having their beaks stuffed with mealworms.

The blackbird family eggs have hatched as both male and female are regularly seen gathering food in and around the garden. I don’t know where the nest is but suspect it may be near the railway bridge.

Talking of the bridge, I’m yet to confirm if the swallows I saw underneath there have actually made a nest. I have seen a number of them gathering mud this week, so perhaps the nest is currently ‘under construction’.

One family I’m sure still has chicks is the great tits, as they are now regular visitors to the mealworm hand-outs; again I’ve not idea where the nest is.

Finally I had a new butterfly species visit my garden, the beautiful and aptly named Orange-Tip. It didn’t stay for long, but it was wonderfully coloured and if all my butterfly and bee friendly plants continue to increase in number, then perhaps I’ll see it again soon.