FLEDGINGS AND VEGETABLES

After the great tit chicks fledge the nest earlier in the week, the blue tits managed to wait until someone could witness their departure into the big wide world – well the area around the garden.

The numbers of great tits that fledged is unknown, and while there were eight blue tits that fledged, a maximum of six were spotted high in the trees calling for food and reassurance.

It would be surprising if all eight didn’t fledged, but it’s so hard to tell if they all did.

The first one leapt for freedom at about 11am, but it took until mid afternoon for the last one to come out, and then a further couple of hours to reach the others at the top of the trees overlooking the garden.

They roosted nearby as they could all be heard at dusk chattering away, and at dawn they could be heard again.

They’ll probably be taken further afield by their parents in the coming days, but hopefully they will come back later in the summer to see their original home garden.

The vegetable growing season is well underway now with tomatoes, broad beans and chilli peppers all coming along nicely.

A few sunflowers have fallen victim to the snails and slugs in the garden, but the rest, along with some tomatoes and all the broad beans, are now outside.

It’ll be another month or so before we see if the sunflowers reach their potential, and if the tomatoes, chilli peppers and broad beans produce a good crop.