THE BREEDING SEASON HAS SPRUNG INTO LIFE

In my last post I posed the question about swallows returning, speculating they would probably come this weekend, but little did I know they were much closer than I thought.

I spotted the first on Saturday 07^th April, a day earlier than last year and another one was sighted on Monday.

The previous dates for the first swallow sighting have been:

2017 – 08/04

2016 – 10/04

2015 – 21/04

2014 – 19/04

And they couldn’t have timed their arrival better as the weather is expected to rise dramatically next week.

The wildlife must expect it because the blue tits are constantly hanging around the most popular nest box, while the one nest box that has never been used, aside from a small wasp nest a few years ago, is seeing nesting action!

Not only that but it’s a bird I see around the garden, but has never nested there before.

A wren has been spotted taking nesting material into it and I’m delighted because I’ve spent the last few years training ivy to grow around it and offer a hidden nesting spot. Blink and you'll miss it on this video.

While I don’t expect all seven nest boxes to be used this year, if the wren does use and build to use it’ll mean all have been used at least once and take the number of species up to five – blue tit, great tit, robin, house sparrow, tree sparrow and now wren.

The flora is also showing signs of growth, with the lawn growing fast and the trees and bushes finally realising that winter is finished – well for now!

The robins and blackbirds have gone quiet in and around the garden, but a female blackbird has been spotted with nesting material out the back, so it’s all go on the nest building front, which means egg laying is close.

Insect movement is increasing with the odd butterfly and bee flirting with the garden, finding which flowers have bloomed and taking great interest in the growing tree blossom.