AUTUMN IN FULL SWING

The wet and windy weather we often associate with autumn has arrived, and with it bringing plenty of flooding.

It’s still been fairly warm in the garden, which means lots of slugs and snails creeping around, with some having found their way into the house.

Figures suggest the average garden has about 20,000 slugs and snails, and given the amount I’ve seen at night recently, that figure doesn’t surprise me.

Unfortunately, there are still no signs of hedgehogs, which are a great natural predator of slugs and snails.

However, during a dry interlude at the weekend I was clearly some parts of the garden from a build-up of debris from the weather, when I came across this large toad.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a toad around the garden, but it’s great to know the range of species it does hold – even if I don’t see them often.

The toad eventually sauntered off after I’d discovered it’s hiding place, but I’ve no doubt it’ll be hiding around the garden still as the food source is good and there are plenty of place to hibernate over the winter.

The small flock of house sparrows that have been roosting in the wall foliage are still around, although I suspect October will see them find somewhere else with more shelter when the leaves do fall down.

The bird feeders are being used more frequently, and the numbers of great tits, blue tits, robins and dunnocks using them has increased slightly in recent days.

I suspect it’ll continue doing so in the coming weeks, so it’s time to stock up on fat snacks and peanuts for them.

In the meantime let’s hope they all keep dry(ish) in the autumn deluge.