GROWING CROPS, FLEDGINGS AND SNAIL WAR PART II

Tonight is the start of BBC Springwatch and I'm really looking forward to this annual extravaganza.

The house sparrow family in the tit nest box with the ‘broken’ camera, have fledged this week and both parents have been busy feeding the youngster.

The garden has become a very popular feeding station for the house and tree sparrows, so much so that the great tits, blue tits and robins are often out-competed for food by the gangs of sparrows.

In two days they went through two full feeders of peanuts, 250g of mealworms and two fat snacks. It was literally a feeding frenzy from dawn until dusk.

I did think about checking the nest box camera and buying, then fitting, a new power cable, but I’m going to leave them until I know the breeding season has finished.

I’m guessing the mother house sparrow will soon be on eggs again and I don’t want to disturb her.

This is something I think the tree sparrows are already on with, so maybe the sound of another hungry brood of sparrows will be heard in the garden again soon.

The swallows appear to be almost complete with the nest building and ready to start laying eggs and incubating. Updated on the first fledgings will on here soon – I hope!

Both the robins and blackbirds haven’t been seen for a week or so, which I suspect is down to the fact they’ve got fledglings and/or are sitting on a second brood of eggs.

I know the nearest robin family is nesting close to the garden and in the same area as a wren family, how much I’ll find about where the nests are, is something I’ll know more of later this summer. I plan to explore the area around the stream in the hope it’ll be a much drier than it is now and not get wet!

The slugs and snails, though fewer in number, are still after my plants, so dose number two of the pellets came into force overnight. The marigolds have been the hardest hit and just when the sole survivor looked to be growing again, another attack came and bypassed the pellets.

Last night that mission failed and the casualties are now stricken around the marigold and a couple of other plants.

 

The carrots are starting to grow while the potatoes are doing very well. Hopefully they’ll help in breaking up the soil in the garden area of the joint land and yield better crops in coming years.

Until then let’s have some sunshine, more fledglings and big juicy crops.

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED, JUST AS THE SNAILS ARE 'LEAVING'

Those damn snails stretched and broke my patience after eating numerous new plants that I’d put outside, meaning about 40 per cent had been killed or brutally attacked by snails and slugs.

Enough was enough and I bought some eco-friendly pellets to protect the remaining and newly planted greenery.

In one night I estimate over 40 snails and slugs fell victim to the pellets, while several more have done the same in the following nights. I also ‘rehomed’ about 20 in the last couple of days so I’m hoping the attack on my plants will soon be over.

I took delivery of a box of mealworms this week and they’ve been readily accepted by a number of house and tree sparrow parents along with a great tit family.

The tree sparrow family have already raised one brood and I suspect the second one is not too far away, while the house sparrow youngsters are very noisy when food is being handed out.

Unfortunately the issues I’ve had with my nest box cameras has meant I can’t see inside any nest boxes this year – very frustrating, but great to know nature is carrying on as normal and that new types of birds are utilising the nest boxes.

Here’s one of the house sparrow parents waiting to fly to the tit nest box to feed its youngster. They’re getting used to us slowly, but still create lots of noise when near the nest!

 

I managed to track the great tit on its feeding forages between the place I put the mealworms, to the nest. It’s located behind the house in the garden of the farm house behind. About twenty foot up an old oak tree, hidden away in thick ivy is a number of great chick tits in a cosy nest – feeding on mealworms.

I’ve not seen the robins for a few days, while the blackbirds have also been scarce, apart from the males singing from roost posts at dusk.

The swallows are obviously enjoying the recent weather and the plethora of insects. Their song and aerobatic flight is a joy to watch and listen to. It may only last for a few months, but it’s still my favourite part of summer.

So the next week will bring wet, but fairly warm weather which is great for the growing plants, although it gives the snails and slugs the perfect conditions to try and destroy my plants!

This time I have a better defence, or so I think…

In the meantime here’s some of the broad beans and one of the foxgloves are getting on. Don't ask me why but they won't face the right way!

 

SNAILS, SLUGS AND SUNFLOWERS

It feels like it should be April rather than May. Sunshine and heavy showers this week are providing excellent conditions for the flora to grow, although given the temperatures each day haven’t been high, significant growth may have to wait until it gets warmer.

I think the tree sparrow chicks in the triple nest box have fledged this week, but there are more that have hatched in the tit nest box with the broken camera.

It’s very frustrating that I can hear the chicks, but can’t see them particularly as it’s a new species that has nested in the one box.

I’ve tested the power cable and it would seem to be beyond repair, but until I can get in the nest box to test a spare cable, I just won’t know.

In other news it appears the swallows are once again nesting in the horse stables; a place they moved to when the small outbuildings at the back of the house didn’t suit anymore.

The wrens and robins are very vocal at the moment around the garden, particularly when a cat is around, which leads me to believe that they both have young chicks.

It may just be my garden, but there has been a huge amount of snails this spring. Most of them have been devouring some of my young plants, with the sunflowers being affected most.

I’ve been gathering about ten a night and they have all been ‘re-housed’ in the garden waste bin, along with grass cuttings and plenty of twigs and leaves.

Not sure if they appreciate the new home, but as long as they’re not eating my sunflowers I’ve not got much sympathy for them – I won’t kill them unless it’s absolutely necessary.

There is some promise of warm weather coming in the next few weeks, so I’m hoping to get the tomatoes outside and watch all the flowers and vegetables growing rapidly.

Perhaps even the onions will emerge and give the garden its first harvest after three years of trying!

THE GARDEN IS SPRINGING INTO LIFE

The first May Bank Holiday has delivered the sounds of new life, lawnmowers and people groaning about bad backs from too much gardening.

I can lay claim to all three having spent most of the weekend in the garden and watching the emergence of new life.

The triple sparrow nest box with the camera that is working has tree sparrows in and they are very nervous when any human is around, even though I was in the garden all day they still gave warning calls whenever they were near the nest.

I suspect the chicks are about ten days old – so about a week from fledging – as they are quite noisy when the parents bring food in. I managed to get one image (which is blurry so haven't put up on here) of the adults over the whole of the weekend due to this nervousness – although the chicks still got many feeds.

In the other nest box, in which the camera isn’t working, I suspect the house sparrows are on eggs as they don’t have frequent visits with food like the tree sparrows, but I have seen them going in and out of the nest box.

The robin family must have young and there is a wren chirping away near to the garden, which I think means there is a robin and wren nesting in the banking by the little stream.

I’ve not seen much of the blue tits or great tits, but they do visit for food.

The dunnocks are rarely seen, while the blackbirds must be feeding youngsters as both parents have been seen collecting worms.

In the garden I’ve planted a number of sunflowers, while the runner beans and broad beans are in two locations with a climbing frame for them to grow up. The tomato plants will soon be in the greenhouse, while the final potatoes have been planted.

The first potatoes should be harvested in early July and as you can see from the image below, the rows of different growth can be seen – the far side were planted first.

Finally the swallows lighten up the skies with their calls and seem to be pairing up. Every night I see a pair on the telephone wires by the garden, singing and frequently feeding by swooping low over the garden.