During the last two weeks there’s been lots of activity in the garden
and in the surrounding area.
The first brood of swallows fledged and within days were gathered in a
big family group chasing of a bird of prey. I didn’t have enough time to see it
before the bird disappeared, but my thinking was either a merlin or kestrel. It
was too big for a buzzard and I’m not sure if hobbys are around this area.
Two more fledgings in the garden with both the tree and house sparrows with
their second broods of the year.
Unfortunately one of the fledglings jumped out this morning and fell
straight into a bucket in the garden. It was dead by the time I reached it at
7.30am and probably suggests it left the nest fairly early this morning when it
was first light, about 4am.
The blue tits and great tits appear to be either busy with another
brood or still keeping up with their first lot. Both sets of parents are
looking a little ragged and it won’t surprise me if they stop coming to the
garden soon, particularly if they have no second brood.
The female blackbird has been absent for many days now, while the male
is always in full voice at dawn and dusk, and often lots of times during the
day. It leads me to believe that another brood is on its way.
All of the flora is looking good with the first emergence of ladybird
poppies and the foxgloves in full bloom. The bee rush on the escallonia bush has subsided as the flowers start to diminish in number,
but the foxgloves are providing another good source of nectar and pollen in the
garden – just at the right time.
Only one negative was the return of the snails and
slugs, mainly on the potato plants. The numbers were soon reduced, but only
time will tell if the potatoes are ok.
The hanging baskets will feature next week as the
birds head off to explore the big wide world and moult.
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