WILL SPRING BRING DOMESTIC BLISS FOR THE HOUSE SPARROWS?

We’ve had a few quiet nights in the occupied nest box, with just the female house sparrow roosting.

Of course it was all very different at the start of the week when the male house sparrow was being quiet vicious to the female.

As you can see from the images, this was more like cage fighting than wrestling, although the female did fight back once or twice. They even managed to start fighting again while still asleep, after nodding off.

 

I’m still unsure as to whether the female and male are partners, of if this is an unattached male bird trying to steal the nest box or the female.

As for the nest, it’s a very slow process so I’m presuming that warm spring days are still a few weeks away.
 

There are now plenty of bulbs coming through, adding a touch of colour to certain areas of the garden. As you can see below the difference a couple of weeks makes is quite something.

The weather has helped recently, with the odd mild early spring day. But cooler, or even colder, weather appears to be still capable of unleashing itself on us.

And this time of year the odd Atlantic storm can also cause major problems for wildlife and humans. Even sedentary garden birds can be affected, so not just those who make journeys to breed.

In general the same birds are visiting the garden, with very few unusual visitors. I think this means there’s enough food away from my handouts to keep them going.

DOES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXIST IN HOUSE SPARROWS?

The spring bulbs are finally starting to show en masse , with snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils about to burst in to bloom when the weather warms up just a couple more degrees.

Of course this week has seen winter hold back spring a little, with this weekend potentially providing some snow again; though mainly for mountains.

Perhaps next week I’ll have images of the bulbs bursting through in colour.

One thing that has been proving very interesting is the behaviour of the make house sparrow. He has been regularly seen in the nest box during the day and when he is in there with the female, has been carrying out acts of ‘domestic violence’.

The female has been fighting back a little bit, but has taken some hefty pecks to the head and body. I’m wondering if this is normal behaviour in courting house sparrows, or is the make trying to usurp the female from the nest box, but doesn’t have a female to mate with yet?

 

 

 

 

 

The nest itself has been coming along slowly, as the images below show. They are of a ten day period up to the 17^th February.

I’m definitely seeing more birds in pairs now and there’s plenty of bird song about during the day.

It won’t be long before spring is fully underway, but I suspect that the wildlife will anticipate it before the weather presenters. The house sparrows will probably be a good indicator, because when nest building quickens up, it’ll be a sure sign that temperatures and sunshine hours will increase very soon.

WINTER HOLDING ON AS WEATHER STAGNATES

No major news from the garden wildlife this week as the winter weather takes a rather mundane turn.

Fog has gripped the garden for a couple of nights and the day time temperatures have struggled to rise above a few degrees Celsius.

This has led to a flurry of visitors and the large flock of sparrows making an increased number of appearances.

A pair of blue tits has been spotted getting cosy with each other, with other notable pairings of robin, great tit and dunnock also showing signs of togetherness ahead of the spring breeding season.

The female house sparrow is still roosting in the original tit nest box and has added a little bit of material (mainly dried grass) to the bottom of the nest box.

Nest building is definitely on hold, but at least the extra few bits give a little more insulation against the cold.

Unfortunately with the huge increase in cats in the area, mainly thanks to two small houses having eight cats between them, the birds are regularly heard giving out warning calls.

I’ve had to chase a cat out of our garden at least once a day recently, although I’m hoping my scare tactics will soon deter them from coming in our garden, stalking the feeders and defecating in the borders.

If I wanted that to happen I’d get a cat! Rant over and back to watching the wildlife flourish when spring arrives and seeing new arrivals on the nest box cameras.

WINTER COLD POSTPONES PREPARATIONS FOR SPRING

This year we can’t say we haven’t had some proper winter weather. The snow, ice and bitterly cold northerly winds have caused wildlife in the garden to postpone plans for spring.

The nest building of the house sparrows has stopped (see first three images below), although overnight roosting has continued with the female bird (see final image below).

 

 

 

 

A pair of tree sparrows are still showing great interest in the sparrow nest box ‘complex’, but not in the section with a camera in.

In the last couple of days I have seen the pair of robins, whose territory includes the garden, flirting with each other and driving off intruders.

A pair of great tits have also been showing signs of flirtation but, like the robins, it doesn’t last long as the search for food to keep them alive during the harsh overnight frosts takes their attention.

Recently a grey squirrel has been frequenting the garden. This is unusual because although they seem to live about ½ a mile away, visits to the garden have been very rare.

The prolonged cold weather must be driving them further in search of food.

With the ground rock hard, the single winter rose and snowdrop are unlikely to be joined by any of the numerous bulbs that had pierced the surface of the soil a couple of weeks ago.

The branches of the fruit tree in the garden are covered in the first shoots of spring buds, but I don’t expect there to be any further movement in the next week or so.

That’s because the forecast appears to show this cold weather staying for a while, so postponing the recent eagerness of the wildlife in and around the garden to prepare for spring.