FLEDGING IN THE RAIN?

The weather recently has been interesting, cool for spring and seems to be finally making its mind up that summer is a season we’re allowed in the UK.

With a few days of warmer weather of late, I’ve noticed plenty of butterflies and bees around and this is encouraging as a sign that the weather could actually be good this summer.

The blackbirds must have chicks as both the male and female are now seen regularly in the garden looking for the odd worm, insect or piece of fruit.

Both parents are also taking mealworms, which is good as I’d like all parent birds to make use of the food offering I’m giving out.

Where the blackbird’s nest is, I just don’t yet know, but it’s another one I’m eagerly looking for.

The blue tits are also making use of the mealworm hand-outs, although they do seem to have found some caterpillars, which is good news for a whole host of other birds too.

The caterpillars are very small so I think they’ve only just started emerging in the last week or so.

I think the blue tit chicks will be fledging very soon as the youngsters are being very vocal whenever the parents bring food.

One set of parents that seem to thrive on the mealworm hand-outs is the robins. Both local families are in or around the garden within seconds of me emerging from the house.

If I’m not around the garden and there are no mealworms, the robins seem to wander around, knowing I could be watching through the windows, trying to ‘force’ me to deliver a new batch to the feeding station.

The various house sparrow families are obviously still feeding up their youngsters as they are another bird, along with great tits and dunnocks, which are making short work of the mealworms.

I think I know where the nest sites are, but no definitive location has yet been found. Perhaps the next week or two will help my search.

Finally I’ve seen both the male and female great spotted woodpecker adults eating from fat snacks in and around the garden.

I suspect, just like the blackbirds, there are young chicks in their nest and as finding food has been difficult, they’ve ‘raided’ the next best food source, which just happens to be my fat snacks!

It’s really good to know they’re around and I hope they do stay, as winter visits are frequent, but summer ones are not.

In the next few weeks I’m looking at making contact with a hedgehog rescue group as I’d like to have these garden-friendly animals around our house and the surrounding area. More news on this next time.

HOW MANY BIRDS HAVE CHICKS?

The weather is playing mind games with everyone at the moment; one day it’s spring, the next day it’s like winter is returning.

I’ve been continuing with the mealworm hand-outs and also kept the fat snacks filled, both of which have been very well received by the birds.

Putting the mealworms out has given me a chance to calculate which birds have chicks, and if so find where the nests are.

I know the blue tits nesting in the camera nestbox have got chicks, even though I can’t see them because the camera isn’t working! The two parents are very grateful for the mealworms, because it seems there are very few caterpillars about.

When there haven’t been any mealworms on offer the blue tits are taking tiny fragments of the fat snacks for the chicks, which is unusual but seems to be working.

Two robin families are present and I’ve managed to track one to the railway bridge, although the exact location of the nest is yet to be determined.

The other robin family hasn’t been traced, although I know the general direction the nest is in.

The railway bridge robins seem to have some neighbours in the shape of a pair of swallows who I think are building a nest right underneath the bridge.

I know swallows that nest under a swing bridge over a river, but I’ve never heard, or known, swallows nesting under a railway bridge.

The house sparrows are also taking some mealworms along with a pair of great tits, although the location of these nests is still a mystery.

I suspect the blackbirds are on eggs as I’ve only seen and heard the males during the last week.

The male great spotted woodpecker is now a daily visitor, mainly to the fat snacks although I’ve seen him take a few mealworms.

He’s such a flighty bird that he’s rarely around for longer than a few minutes.

With little natural food it seems all the nesting birds with chicks are using the fat snacks to feed their youngsters, which is something I’d never thought about before.

Even so, I’m limiting the mealworm hand-outs as I don’t want the birds to be reliant on them as I can’t be here all the time to put them out.

Next time I might have some fledging news!

HAVE THE EGGS HATCHED?

Spring isn’t exactly helping the wildlife in and around my garden, just at the time when the nesting birds are looking for some assistance from Mother Nature.

The nestbox camera still isn’t working, although I’m positive the eggs have hatched as the parents are often seen scampering in to the tiny opening with little bits of food for the chicks.

I don’t know what the adult birds are bringing for the chicks to eat, as I’ve not seen any caterpillars around.

I’m constantly putting out small amounts of mealworms, although so far I’ve not seen the blue tit parents taking any.

What I have seen is other parent birds taking up to ten mealworms at a time to feed their chicks. There are two robin nests around my house, although exactly where they are is something I’m still trying to track down.

One things is for sure and that is I must find them this weekend otherwise the chicks will fledge and the only glimpses I’ll get is when they come to my garden to feed for a few days before disappearing into the wider countryside until last summer or autumn.

I’m hoping that spring will come soon and that will lead to the potential for the robins to have another brood, and if I find the nests then I’ll be very pleased to see the second brood growing up.

I’ve also had the usual visits from the house sparrow colony, although I don’t think they’re nesting in my sparrow nestbox.

Two visitors have surprised me this week, one was from a number of starlings, which is unusual because I’ve not seen many around the house over the years, but the other visitor was a male great spotted woodpecker, who was happily munching on the fat snack right in front of my kitchen window.

 

I managed to get one picture of him before he took flight, but I did see him returning on a number of occasions so food must be scarce out there for all sorts of birds and animals.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for spring to finally spring into life and help our wildlife in the vital breeding season.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION - I JUST CAN'T SEE IT

It would seem I cannot win with this nestbox camera, as it seems to change its mind as to whether it’ll work or not.

At the moment it’s not working, but the last time I managed to see in to the nestbox there were eight blue tit eggs, as you can see in the image below! Great news and it appears they’re being incubated as I’ve seen both birds in and around the nestbox.

I suspect that hatching will be happening this weekend, although whether I get to see it is another thing. I’ll be keeping an eye and ear out for signs that the chicks have arrived and be ready to assist if the caterpillar explosion doesn’t happen.

In the last couple of days I’ve seen more butterflies than I have all year, which is obviously down to the rubbish weather we’ve had all year, and since this time last year.

Will there be enough butterflies around to mate, lay eggs and in turn provide food for the young chicks? I hope so.

I think there has been some eggs hatching as I’ve noticed one of the robin with a mouthful of mealworms that I’d put out. I still don’t know where the nest is, but hopefully soon I’ll see the speckled youngsters in the garden.

The swallows are filling the air with their delightful songs and amazing aerobatics. There is more than one pair, although I’m not sure if the others are nesting nearby, perhaps in the horse stable in the field behind our house – if this is the case I suspect there will be more than one nest.

I’ve now put up my small greenhouse again and will be spending lots more time outdoors tending to my sunflowers, tomatoes and runner beans.

The concern I have at the moment is the potato and parsnip crops I’ve had in the garden. Neither has shown signs of growing, although this warm weather might help get the soil up to an optimum temperature for both to start growing.

Finally our house has been invaded by ants, which I suspect don’t have enough food outside due to the weather and are seeking what we have. I just hope they don’t build a nest in the house as that would be very unwelcome.