EARLY NIGHTS MEAN LESS WILDLIFE VIEWING TIME

I’d like to say there’s a lot going on in and around the garden, but as I’m away for most of the daylight hours it’s very difficult.

The weather has generally been typically autumnal, albeit generally quite mild.

On my morning walks to work I have once or twice noticed a flock of redwing and potentially some fieldfare, so I’m going to try and start out early one day (subject to getting the girls ready for school early).

The feeders have been fairly quiet recently, with only passing visits from the local blue tits, great tits, house sparrows and dunnocks.

There’s have been very few visits from blackbirds and no sightings of the long tailed tits.

The pond has been overwhelmed with leaves and I’ve had to be careful with removing them due to the fish, snails and other animals who now call this small amount of water home.

I’m amazed the fish from the stream are still surviving, which means they are finding food. Perhaps the larvae of midges or mosquitos, although the worry is that this food supply won’t last for long during winter.

It looks like cooler weather and colder nights are on the way as we head to December, so perhaps more birds on the feeders.

In the coming weeks I’m going to look at introducing some more video footage to this blog, perhaps with my daughters getting involved – I’m yet to ask them so we’ll see what is said!

BUTTERFLY HIBERNATING BONANZA, BUT WHAT'S THAT NOISE?

Autumn is in full swing and it’s great to see so many different colours around, which look particularly vibrant on sunny days. 

Life in and around the garden hasn’t altered too much, apart from the carpet of autumn leaves in the garden. 

It looks like the hedgehog(s) might still be around because in the last week a few hedgehog poos have been seen around the garden – yes they were hard spot with leaves, but luckily one or two of the droppings were on the path. 

Most mornings the ‘dawn chorus’ is made up of an isolated robin and the flock of geese moving from the roosting spots to their daytime feeding fields. 

The bird feeders are being used, mainly by the house sparrows, blue tits, great tits and robins, with further autumn and winter visitors, including long tailed tits, likely to arrive in the coming weeks. 

The temperatures have been fairly mild on the whole, which has meant not too many outside visitors to the garden. 

One very strange thing to happen last week was being woken by a weird sound in the early hours of the morning. 

It must have been an animal but, as I’d never heard this particular noise before, it was difficult to attribute to something. 

The audio is on the video below, so if anyone has any ideas I’d welcome them in the comments or in the social media posts linked to this blog update.  

The house still has six small tortoiseshell butterflies hibernating, although at least three have woken up in the last week, flown around and settled elsewhere. 

How long they will stay around in the same locations I don’t know, but if we cause too much disturbance I’ll be putting them in boxes in the garage to overwinter. 

Next time I’ll be looking at how the small fish are doing in the pond!

AUTUMN STARTS AND THE NIGHTS DRAW IN, BUT IS THE WILDLIFE UNDER COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS?

Not much action in the last couple of weeks in the garden, as we head to the end of British Summer Time. 

A few garden birds are spending a little time in the garden, but only to make use of the fat snacks and peanuts on offer. 

House sparrows, blue tits and great tits are seen most days, with robins were seen and heard a couple of times a week. 

The weather was getting much cooler, but a warm spell this week encouraged plenty of insects to be out and about, albeit without any sightings of bats in the quickly darkening evenings. 

The hedgehogs haven’t been sighted for a couple of weeks, while there’s been plenty of sightings of slugs and snails around the garden, particularly in the evenings. 

Late at night and overnight, with windows open, the sounds of foxes, badgers and owls have been heard. 

While not very often it does show that these animals are still active around the area, even if it’s not as often as previously. 

With the nights closing in fast, we’re once again on fox and badger watch, when returning with the girls from evening gymnastics training sessions. 

One day they’ll see one, even if the times I’ve seen them at night, which has been few times in the last few years, they’ve either been asleep or not in the car. 

So, with summertime ending and Covid-19 restrictions in place, I hope the wildlife can bring us all some joy and be active around the garden more often than in previous years. 

It’ll definitely be helpful during what is likely to be a digital Christmas and we are confined to our home throughout the holiday period.

AUTUMN WEATHER BRINGS NEW HARVEST

As the transition from summer to autumn progressed, the garden produced a small harvest to feast on.

OK, so it wouldn’t exactly make a feast, but the tomatoes did eventually come along even if it was weeks after the strawberries and broad beans.

They tasted pretty good too, so maybe planting earlier next year might work better for an earlier harvest.

The newly acquired bat box will go up soon, although with the prevailing wind coming down both sides of the house, I might have to be careful in where it’s placed and also borrow some ladders from a neighbour.

While there are bats that fly around the garden, I’ll be quite surprised if they do make use of the roosting box this winter – but you never know!

The sunflowers were a big disappointment this year, with only my youngest daughter’s making it to full bloom.

It did make a remarkable recovery as it was eaten by slugs, but then remerged and produced two heads.

While it was my daughter’s, it was technically me that kept it fed and watered, so I’m going to claim a small part of the sunflower’s success.

Finally, there’s a good haul of berries on the pyracantha which I’m hoping might attract a passing fieldfare or redwing flock.

I’ve not seen any down the lane so far this year, but it is quite early, and I would expect to have chance of seeing a few later this month or into November.

Time will tell if there’s enough berries to attract them.

A WHIFF OF AUTUMN IS IN THE AIR

As the first wafts of an autumnal scent started to drift around the garden, so the signs of the third season of the year became more apparent. 

In the airs above the garden I’ve seen large numbers of swallows, almost entirely youngsters with their shorter forked tails, chattering away as they chase food. 

They seem effortless in the way they dance across the sky and all the time accompanied by one of my favourite sounds of nature, swallows nattering to each other. 

Given the weather next week is looking quite settled and mild, I expect a few swallows to be still showing their aerobatic skills for a little longer, although it’ll once again be a sad day when they finally depart for another seven months away. 

While there have been some reports of swallows staying in the UK throughout winter, I don’t expect them to stick around here. Perhaps the warmer southern counties near to coast are the best chance, if indeed any do decide to stay. 

The hedgehog(s) haven’t been seen for a few days in the garden, although one of the neighbours is still seeing them more regularly. 

I’ll put more dog food out now, in addition to the water bowl, to help them/it fatten up for winter. Finding out where it calls home might be beyond me at the moment. 

In the garden, just like in the wheat fields around the house, that harvesting has been in full swing. 

All the broad beans have been collected and one or two tomatoes too; but once again they have been poor again this year. 

So indeed, have the sunflowers with only one making it to show its sunny self, and even that one is not fully open yet! 

Finally, another new nest in the garden, taking the total this year to five, in addition to the robin ivy next, goldfinch bush nest, great tit nestbox nest and woodpigeon tree nest. 

While the bird remains anonymous, I suspect the layout of the next suggests a robin. 

The video would show why I think it’s a robin, because the entrance is rather open, after I created it following the demise of the first two robin broods. 

It’s not the robin family that successfully fledged a brood from the ivy because they definitely nested again in there, but it’s perhaps the robins that are now trying to stake a claim to the garden against the ivy family. 

This could be one to watch over autumn and winter.

AUGUST REMAINS QUIET AS WILDLIFE SHELTERS FROM THE INCLEMENT WEATHER

There’s not been much going on in the last couple of weeks, apart from a new discovery about the hedgehogs! More about this shortly.

The robin family territorial dispute appears to have finished for now, with only one sighted at one time and not much calling going on.

The return of the blue tits lasted for a few days, and then they disappeared again.

In fact, the birds, in general, have definitely been enjoying the relaxation of social distancing and are taking advantage of the situation.

I’ve started to put some food out for them again and even this hasn’t attracted many hungry beaks.

News on our summer visitors, as the swallows introduced another brood to the skies above our garden.

This is definitely the second brood, but with their nest site surrounded by fields and the vast marshes area a fantastic playground for them, it may well be the third.

A few weeks ago, a large flock of swifts fed for an hour around the garden and fields, before moving on, presumably starting the migration back south.

Then a few days ago a seemingly new flock of swifts moved in a similar pattern, prior to swooping to feed elsewhere.

It’s been great to see the swifts in good numbers again and the swallows successfully breeding.

I hope it means next year they’ll return again and their sounds will once again grace the air around the garden.

Finally, the hedgehog that came back to the garden appears to be not alone.

A smaller hedgehog has also been spotted by neighbours and I’ve seen a few smaller droppings of hedgehog poo in the garden, which confirms the sightings.

I’ll be keeping an eye on them and hoping the extra food put out by the neighbours will help get them both ready for hibernation.

A TYPICALLY QUIET AUGUST MADE EXCITED BY A NEW NEST DISCOVERY

With much of the wildlife still seemingly hiding away, it’s been left to a few of the stars of the garden this year to make the headlines, and also one big surprise.

First, the big surprise and it was the discovery of new nest in the garden just last week; a nest from a bird I’ve seen around the garden and lane, but never thought it would nest near the house.

The bird in question is a goldfinch, which has nested near the top of a small bush/tree, about eight feet from the ground and in a fairly precarious place.

I’d been hearing a lot of calling from the goldfinches around the garden in recent weeks, particularly in the last week or so, and looking at the state of the nest I suspect the young had recently fledged.

It’s brilliant that a small garden can provide the right environment for birds to nest, so now the goldfinch can be added to the list of nesting birds in the garden, alongside blue tits, great tits, robins, house sparrows, tree sparrows and blackbirds.

The robin family now appears to be in dispute with one another, as one of the youngsters is seemingly trying to win our garden as part of its territory over one of its parents – I suspect the male.

They have both been seen often in the garden in recent weeks and it would seem it’s quite a good place to have.

Who will triumph in the end? I don’t know but both are quite feisty and friendly in similar doses – friendly to the humans who live here.

Another now regular visitor is the hedgehog, who can be seen, and often heard, most nights.

The hedgehog is leaving regular deposits of poo around the garden too, but is also getting around the neighbours’ houses and is also being provided some food by them.

It looks like the hedgehog has found somewhere it likes, and if collectively we continue to provide the right environment for it, then it’ll hopefully stay.

One of the most important things is allowing free and easy access to all the gardens and making sure the cats and dogs stay away from it.

I think most of the neighbours are excited to see a hedgehog, so hopefully it’ll stick around.

THE SUMMER QUIET HITS THE GARDEN

As usual at this time of year the garden is really quiet at the moment, with most birds hiding around the hedgerows, fields and trees while the adults moult.

In the last week there has been some visitors, with the odd blue tit (both adults and this year’s young), while the magpies are constantly around and making plenty of noise.

The other birds starting to come back in the garden are the robins, indeed the robin family that fledged a few weeks ago.

The youngsters are starting to show signs of the red breast, while the adults seem to be getting more and more comfortable with us in the garden, mainly while we’re working.

With the youngsters still learning about life, they are always making nervous warning sounds whenever they are around the garden and we’re in there.

They still come around the seats and tables, often underneath picking up crumbs from the floor, so cleaning up for us at the same time.

The weather hasn’t been summer-like, but it has been mild and moist at night.

This led to a surprise visitor in the kitchen one evening as a toad came to visit.

We were able to show it back out again, but it was a lively one and seemed to be smaller than the one I found last year.

Finally, the hedgehog seems to still be around as I’ve found droppings around the small pond and in a couple of other parts of the garden.

I think it lives under one of the sheds, although I do wonder if it has a bolt hole under the logs near the pond.

I’ll hopefully be able to spend a bit of time in the garden in the next couple of weekends and see what I can detect.

SUMMER LIFE IN THE GARDEN CAN BE QUIETER

Life in and around the garden has become a lot quieter in recent days, with the newly fledged blue tits, great tits, robins and house sparrows all seemingly off to find adventure (and food) in the surrounding countryside.

The magpie family are still very audible around the garden, particularly in the morning when the youngsters are often heard cackling, often a few hours before anyone’s alarm has gone off!

They are also fairly noisy in the evenings, although this isn’t too bad as we’re still awake. The reason for their noise is often down to the increasing number of cats around, which is really annoying for everyone.

I intercepted two cats with voles in their mouths, which is so frustrating that they’re catching prey that could feed owls or kestrels, or even foxes. Instead the cats are clearing up and we don’t get to see those animals in the countryside setting we’re in.

The robin family, which successfully fledged a brood at the third attempt, had spent a couple of weeks around the garden, but have not been seen for a couple of days.

There are four youngsters and they seemed to enjoy spending time around the garden and could often be found literally under our feet.

 

  

While it’s sad to see them move on from the garden, it’s so pleasing to see the parents have chicks after two tragic attempts at previous broods.

We’re seeing a few more glimpses of the swallows, which can be put down to the adults teaching the newly fledged chicks the best fly catching methods.

They’re starting to learn to swoop lower and lower around the gardens and it’s a great sight to see.

It’s a shame they’ll be leaving in a matter of weeks, although the squawking swifts, which are still sometimes venturing over the garden in the evening, will depart much sooner.

NEW SURPRISING VISITOR TO THE GARDEN

Five years ago we provided a home to a young hedgehog that had spent time recuperating in a local rescue centre.

‘Spikey’, as he was called by my eldest daughter, was set free in our garden in June 2015, and he seemed to enjoy his new surroundings.

A few sniffs and he was off exploring, so after a few minutes watching him we left him alone and thought we’d see him over the next few days, weeks, months and years.

However, the days, weeks, months and years passed by without even one sighting of Spikey and we thought that was it.

The girls were disappointed, particularly my youngest as she was just one when Spikey was released so had never seen a hedgehog.

But lockdown has been very strange in many ways and one evening while eating my dinner in the garden, with darkness falling and one or two bats already sighted, there was a rustling noise coming from one side of the garden.

At first, I thought it was birds moving about in the ivy, finding the perfect spot to roost for the evening, but the noise kept on happening even after darkness had fallen.

I eventually decided to investigate and as I got closer realise that the noise was not coming from the ivy or hedge, but from the undergrowth.

The light of my phone was switched on and suddenly a movement at the bottom of the ivy made the noise I’d been hearing.

As I tried to make out what it was, the animal moved and revealed itself to be a hedgehog!

I must admit I was a little excited and immediately wondered if it was Spikey, although I later realised that if it was Spikey he would have been pretty old for a hedgehog.

Instead it could be one of his offspring, but either way a hedgehog in the garden was something we had only seen when we released Spike five years ago.

I feed the birds mealworms during the breeding season and sprinkle some over part of the lawn, and it was the leftovers that the hedgehog was feasting on.

He (I say he because it’s quite a big animal and the males are traditionally bigger) came back for a number of nights afterwards, and my daughters were able to see him and it added to their knowledge and excitement about wildlife, something I’m keen for them to continue learning.

We’ve not seen it for a few days now but given the warmer weather I’m now setting out dog food and have cut the underneath of a couple of fence panels to allow it to come in without hinderance.

In other news the robins were indeed on a nest of eggs which successfully hatched. The mealworm feast I was giving them seemed to work and they successfully fledged last week.

The parents have been coming into the garden for food every day and feeding them in the thick bushes near the house and garden.

The great tits and neighbouring blue tits have not been heard around for a week or so, which is not unusual as they spend time away exploring with their parents and finding the best places for food.

The house sparrows have laid eggs again in the garage roof and in the last couple of days are seemingly feeding chicks.

Finally, the magpies have been making all sorts of noise in and around the garden, mainly centred around the chicks fledging.

They parents are now even roosting in the garden trees.

Last week they were making considerably warning call sounds and I found a fledgling look a bit dazed and being stalked by two of the local cats.

I managed to get it to a place of safety, ushered the cats away and left the parents to care for it.

Do I know if that intervention help? Not really, but there are a few younger magpies around and I hope it was amongst them.

IT'S SPRING, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

So, as lockdown continues the wildlife is busy nurturing the next generation, all going on during one of the warmest and driest springs ever recorded.

In and around the garden the house sparrows in the garage roof have appeared to fledge, along with a few other house sparrow families around here.

They’ve also seemingly gone off for a few days, possibly to rest, as their presence in the garden is limited at the moment.

The robins are definitely around a lot and seemingly intent on raising another brood, albeit in the same area as the two previous failed nests this year – one due to cold and the other due to magpie predation.

Whether a third nest will be successful is something I’ll be able to keep a close eye on as lockdown continues.

It’s great to be able to work in the garden and be surrounding by the lives of nature that being in the office would mean I’d miss.

The swallows are still gracefully taking to the skies and I think the pair are on eggs, because I only generally see one at a time.

A nest of swallows at the farm down the lane appears to have fledged this week.

And talking of fledgings, the great tits fledged earlier this week, but did so just as I left the house to go to the office for a few hours.

They definitely stayed around for a couple of days, but I was unable to count how many. I think four or five given the calling made from the youngsters for food just after fledging.

One thing the lockdown has enabled me to do it explore the area around the garden a little more.

I took my girls on a nature walk one evening this week and we went in search of a great spotted woodpecker nest in a nearby small wood.

We knew it was there through the power of Facebook, but no idea exactly where.

Luckily, we found it thanks to the noisy chicks, and were really fortunate to be there long enough to see the parents come to feed them.

I’ve seen them feeding in my garden, but had never seen a nest or watched a parent feed youngsters, and it provided a great result for my next generation and me to ensure we go back to the woodland again.

THE NEXT GENERATION IS ALMOST WITH US

In the last week or so the robins have still been around the garden, sometimes looking at the ivy and going in to investigate what I presume can be to build another nest.

I’ve even seen them go in with nesting materials, although not very often and I don’t think there was enough movement to suggest the garden will have robin chicks this year, sadly.

The great tit chicks are very loud now and I’m surprised they haven’t fledged yet, although the parents are seemingly trying to tempt them out now!

Perhaps when the heat we’re likely to see tomorrow will prove the final straw as the nest will become very hot and their feathers will increase their body temperature and incentivise them to reach for the outside world.

The house sparrow families are seemingly thriving and the swallows are looking like they are nest building, more on both of those next week.

The pond has plenty of life in it, but there’s not been the sign of the frog for a while and there’s not visible frogspawn.

However, it is providing a place for insects to live and they are needed for a bio-diverse garden, which is what I want to have.

The broad beans, tomatoes and other flora are growing quite well, although not so much the poppies. I don’t know why that is, but they are in various locations around the garden so let’s see how they all are in a few weeks.

As we approach the traditional summer season, it’s going to be interesting to see how the current Covid-19 situation will impact everyone and the wildlife.

One thing’s for sure is the wildlife around the garden has been carrying on with the breeding season, blissfully unaware of the situation their human neighbours are going through.

Time will tell how much the pandemic has affected wildlife, hopefully it’ll be in a positive way.

In the meantime we’ll keep on trying to help the birds get fed with mealworm handouts and watch as the next generations make their way in the world around us.

NATURE HAS DEALT A CRUEL BLOW TO THE ROBINS

The sun has been shining, the birds in full voice and plenty of signs of the next generation coming into this world.

The garden had two active nests, with the robins (second attempt after the first one resulted in three chicks dying) and the great tits, which were located in the nest box that has been used every year since we moved here in 2007.

The girls and I had been feeding mealworms to the robins, while the house sparrows nesting in next door’s garage, the blue tits in next door’s wall and the great tits were making use of the free handouts.

Sadly, just when I thought the robins could soon fledge, the nest in the ivy was raided and the nest left destroyed. The chicks were nowhere to be seen or heard.

Given there is a magpie nest nearby and the magpies had been seen regularly in the garden over the last week, I suspect it was the magpies that raided the nest.

The parents were still hanging around the garden and the male singing from a perch I’ve often seen him at over the last few months.

I’m hoping that not all the chicks were taken, but have no evidence to suggest any are now alive.

Given the number of cats around here (another feral one has been ‘saved’ by the neighbours), I think we’re at 11 between three houses, plus the feral ones being fed down the lane, I suspect it’s unlikely any survivors would get passed those felines.

The great tits are still thriving and will hopefully fledge next weekend when the weather might have warmed back up a little.

It's been great to get to know the parents while working in the garden just under the nest box (I spend many hours there in spring and summer and the birds quickly get used to my presence).

These pics and video show just how at ease the great tits are with me being there.

The pond has new plants around it and by next weekend the hanging baskets will be up, so the garden has now really sprung into spring.

Next stop, summer!

ENJOYING THE LOCKDOWN WILDLIFE DURING A HOT APRIL

Four weeks into lockdown and I’m seeing and learning new things about the garden and wildlife.

The original or usual next box looks like it’s got a great tit couple nesting in it, which is great news that it’s being used for I think the 12^th consecutive year since it was put up.

The robins have appeared to stop and nest building trips to the ivy, so perhaps they’re sitting on eggs. Time will tell but I hope so.

A pair of blue tits are nesting in a crevice in the house next door, which is a place they’ve used before. It’s where an old outlet pipe for a boiler was sited, so it’s obviously quite a nice venue for them.

I think there’s activity in the one of the other nest boxes on the wall, the single one, but I’m not sure which birds are nesting there, if any. House sparrows, great tits and blue tits have all been seen taking an interest.

However, the big news is a new pair of breeding birds has been discovered, which is a first for me.

At the back of house, a pair of pied wagtails are busy building a nest under the roof tiles of the old shippons.

It’s really exciting because it’s directly in front of one of our bedroom windows, so viewing the activity is quite easy.

The pond has had a delivery of flowering plants, snails and oxygenating plants, and is still home to the frog.

I’m not sure if the frog has successfully found a mate, I would suggest not, but it’s great that it’s there making itself at home.

Also making themselves at home in the garden has been a range of butterflies, including the peacock, orange tip, speckled wood and holly blue.

News on the planting next time, but there’s lots of growing in the greenhouse, so hopefully lots of successful growth and new life in the garden in the coming weeks and months.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG, DURING LOCKDOWN

The swallows are back, and almost exactly the same day as the previous three years.

The lack of traffic noise has led to bird song being much more audible and just a couple of days ago I heard the distinct call of swallows.

Then today I saw my first one swooping over the fields next to the garden. It means the first sounds was heard in the 8th April and seen on 11th April.

The current sates I've first seen swallows each year, since 214, are:

2014 - 19th April
2015 - 21st April
2016 - 10th April
2017 - 8th April
2018 - 7th April
2019 - 7th April
2020 - 11th April (heard first on 8th April)

It’s typical that during this lockdown we’re seeing really warm spring weather, particularly after the wet and windy last couple of months.

Of course, we’re going to see cooler weather in the coming weeks, but it’s been nice to enjoy the garden and also for a lot longer than usual with working from home.

Sadly not everything is perfect in nature, and this was demonstrated early one morning when I found three dead chicks, perhaps a week old, in the garden not far from the potential location of a robins’ nest.

It has been very cold overnight and a gently frost was on partly visible, so I suspect this had killed them and the parents had removed the bodies.

While it could have been a predator or local cat, the nest location would suggest a cat unlikely and a magpie would have difficulty getting into the thick ivy - the nest is circled along with one of the dead chicks.

What I have noticed since is the robins both being very active in the same location, both with food and the odd bit of nesting material.

I haven’t heard any chick noises, but this is definitely a watching brief, with the male robin (seemingly) singing loudly and often from a series of perches around the garden.

Above the robin nest a pair of blue tits has recently been seen mating, but where the nest is, is another thing.

I suspect they are using the previously unused single nest box that was under the now removed triple sparrow nest box, but await final evidence.

We’ve also found a frog residing in the pond, I say residing because it’s been in there for quite a few days.

I don’t think it’ll be mating and laying frog spawn, but perhaps next year we’ll get that.

Still it’s a good sign that the pond is supporting a wide range of wildlife and plants.

And the pond is looking colourful and is proving to be a great source of food for bees and butterflies – there’s been both orange tip and peacock on most days in the last week.

STAYING PUT, FOR THE TIME BEING

So COVID-19 has hit and confined us to our homes for the foreseeable future, which is not bad for those of us who like to admire the wildlife and potter in the garden – just once a day at the moment!

However, it does mean that we’re going to struggle to provide those extra morsels for hungry birds and other animals, as we come into a time when breeding success can be determined by those extra handouts.

At the moment there doesn’t seem to be much interest in nesting, apart from the recent robin interest in the ivy by the kitchen window, the odd fly by on the oldest nest box and the magpies in the conifer tree opposite the house.

It also means I can’t sort the pond out or get lovely border plants to help deter the cats from defecating in the garden.

It has given us time as a family to plant some seeds, with the usual tomato, broad bean and sunflowers being joined by, among others, the Californian Poppy.

A few of the seeds are already starting to emerge after a couple of days, but it might be this weekend when the more dramatic emerging happens.

Until then we continue to work from home, admire the wildlife when we look up from the computer, and hope spring can replace this cool weather with some proper warmth.

THE CALM BEFORE SPRING STARTS?

Well we’re all awaiting the Coronavirus impact, while nature carries on regardless.

The dawn chorus is getting louder every morning, and my walk to work is full of various birdsong, from blackbirds and robins, to blue tits and chaffinches.

The buzzard that had been hanging around in the area hasn’t been seen for a week or so, but a kestrel has replaced it.

I’ve seen the kestrel perched a few times over the half-flooded fields, mainly on hedgerows, and the smaller birds always keep their distance.

A few frogs have been seen on the road, unfortunately all squashed by vehicles on the lane.

I’m sure there are a few around, but I don’t think any will frequent the pond, mainly because I’ve not done much upkeep on it recently.

I will be getting in the garden in the next couple of weeks and will hopefully get some seeds planted.

I’ll stick to sunflowers and tomatoes, and also get some small plants for the borders to help stop the cats using them as a toilet.

The feeders are still going down quickly, with long tailed tits still seen almost every day.

The lighter mornings and evenings enable me to see bird activity, and perhaps even another glimpse of the robin taking nest material into the ivy, close to the place he/she chose last year.

Whether we have a nest this year, only time will tell.

DOES ANYONE REMEMBER WHEN IT WASN’T STORMY?

It’s fair to say that I’m struggling to remember when the last time we had some calm weather, given we’re experiencing storm after storm hitting the UK.

And, if there hasn’t been a named storm, then we’ve been hit be continual low pressures or the windy edge of a high pressure.

The fields are soaking, and large ponds of water are now forming and not draining at all.

Even the stream alongside the lane regularly breaches the banks when we’ve had a few hours of rain.

These videos are taken one day last week, then below are two mages taken the same time, on the following day.

To see all that in one go, here’s a collated image. What’s not shown is the water on the lane is gradually damaging the surface and there’s not a day goes by when the lane doesn’t have large puddles dotted along it.

 

The wildlife is not appearing to be affected by the weather, well from what I can see and hear.

The dawn chorus has been getting stronger each day recently, although the storm and wet mornings have limited activity.

During the day we’re now hearing more territorial songs from the robins, blue tits, great tits and also the odd chaffinch.

The breeding season is largely dictated by the day length, but I do wonder how the storm will affect it long-term.

If the butterflies and moths, which lay eggs that then turn onto the caterpillar food for the small garden birds, get impacted by the storms, then how will the birds cope?

That will also impact some the birds of prey in the area, but we can only wait and see how that all plays out.

If the stormy weather continues for a while, then our summer migrants might also be impacted; so swallows, house martins, swifts and cuckoos.

Again only time with tell, until then we’ll continue to batten down the hatches and hope the water levels gradually drop.

WETTER THAN AN OTTER'S POCKET

In my last post it was all about Storm Ciara; this time it’s about Storm Dennis and the resulting impact from the combination of both storms.

To say it’s been a bit rainy and windy, would be a huge understatement. During particularly heavy rain and strong winds, the wildlife has been virtually invisible in the garden.

The birds have definitely made use of the feeders though, with the peanuts and fat snacks being devoured quicker than for many months.

The garden, roads and small streams are soaking, with the streams regularly overflowing onto the road.

Sadly, the nearest stream has been dredged and the small fish are no longer being seen when I walk by, which means the chances of seeing a kingfisher again are negligible.

I’ll keep checking just in case they’re under a nearby tunnel, and see just how the weather conditions impact the newly dredged stream.

The storms, and continued strong winds, have taken their toll on the flora, including the large old tree that was knocked over, that I mentioned in the last post – knocking out phone and internet for ten days.

The tree was a nesting and resting site for a few birds, with great tits nesting in the ivy-ridden trunk for a couple of years.

Perhaps when looking elsewhere they’ll see my nest boxes and take up the offer of a breeding site opportunity.

Despite the constant stormy conditions, the dawn chorus is starting to gather pace, with the robins (who’ve been singing almost constantly through winter), being joined by wrens, song thrushes, blackbirds, blue tits, great tits and the odd magpie with their crackling calls.

I’m sure nesting will start soon for the smaller birds, while the likes of the magpies and nearby crows, are already constructing nests in larger trees.