FAREWELL 2012 & WELCOME 2013

So as 2012 comes to and end and the dawn of 2013 is the next one we’ll see, I for one am hoping for some changes to the weather we saw this year.

The weather at the start of 2013 promises to be dry and, at various points mild, which is not brilliant for wildlife in the long run.

A short and harsh winter will ensure bugs and bacteria, which would otherwise survive in milder conditions, are killed off, leaving smaller numbers to breed in spring and summer. The larger numbers of bugs and bacteria to start with, the worse it could be for birds and mammals in the breeding season.

In the next couple of weeks I’ll be trying to fixing my nest box camera and hoping that the blue or great tits will make it into a home for delivering the next generation in 2013.

In January I’ll be looking at which animals and mammals are visiting my garden, hoping to have pictures and video of any birds spending the night in my nest box.

I can’t say I’m sad to say goodbye to 2012, especially after watching the demise of the great tit chicks and knowing others suffered similar fates across the bird world, but also because the extremely wet conditions has probably affected many other wildlife in a negative way.

So onwards and upwards as we embrace 2013, let’s hope the wildlife and all of us have a better and drier one too!

CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS THROUGH FLOODWATER

As we near the end of 2012, it can be remembered for just one thing, one thing weather wise anyway – rain, rain and floods.

It has been a truly monumental year for rain as almost every part of the country has felt the force of floodwater and the devastation it causes to us humans, but what about the wildlife?

I know from personal experience how wildlife has suffered with the great tit family of eight chicks dying, not long after hatching. The wet weather meant caterpillars were washed away or hadn’t hatched, therefore resulting in starvation for the chicks.

The failure of the great tit family in my garden was not the only one, as I heard of many small bird families across the country feeling the same affect from the weather.

Obviously either side of the food chain would have been affected as the failure of small insects breeding was partly responsible for the small bird families not having much breeding success and therefore contributed to larger birds and birds of prey not having as much ‘food’ for their young.

All in all 2012 has not been brilliant for wildlife, but before we write it off as a failure, we must take it into context.

Nature has a wonderful way of balancing itself out over a period of many years and while this year might not have been great for a number of reasons, the overall picture can’t be viewed for many years to come.

Perhaps 2013 will provide a bumper crop of insects and in turn a larger number of small bird chicks that fledge. Only time will tell and that is something we must all look forward to.

As for my garden, the recent wet weather has ensured a plentiful supply of worms for the blackbirds and robins, while my peanuts, fat snacks and seed mix has given the great tits, blue tits, tree sparrows, house sparrows and dunnocks enough food to supplement the natural bounty.

I’ve only seen fleeting views of chaffinches, goldfinches, while the jays are seemingly taking up residence in the trees and hedgerows of the lane.

Christmas has no effect on wildlife, it’s just another time of the year, but if we all gave a little thought and made sure there was enough food and water (there might be enough of this) for them, we all might benefit when it comes around to the spring and summer as bird song lightens up our light mornings and long evenings.

TIME TO HELP OUR WILDLIFE

With the prospect of some proper winter weather on the horizon, it’s time to encourage everyone to spare a thought for our wildlife.

It may be the festive time of the year when people get excited about decorations, presents and food, but for wildlife it’s a time when the only thing they have on their mind is survival.

In milder conditions natural food is normally available for all, but during the harsh, cold, frosty and snowy weather, a battle commences between getting enough food to survive the night and not.

A simple peanut or seed feeder filled with the relevant food stuff can provide many of the birds we see around the garden in the spring and summer, with enough to help survive during the freezing conditions.

The larger birds can then feed on scraps that fall from the feeders, while it also provides birds of prey with the opportunity to keep up the natural balance of life. For smaller birds the less distance they travel between feeds helps to them to keep up energy levels to see them through the long and cold nights.

If just half of our houses had one feeder then the distance little birds would travel would become much less and increase survival chances.

I have three of four feeders in my garden, which seem to mainly attract tree sparrows, robins, blackbirds, blue tits, great tits, dunnocks and house sparrows.

In colder conditions chaffinches, long tailed tits, greenfinches, goldfinches and wrens are also attracted to them.

With the jays now becoming common in and around my garden, they’ve joined the magpies and the odd carrion crow in feasting on the offerings I provide. I don’t encourage the bigger birds, but as my garden is surrounding by countryside, it’s inevitable.

There are also plenty of voles and field mice about, although I’ve only ever seen one around my garden.

A buzzard once landed in the garden and there have also been visits by great spotted woodpeckers, but I’ve not seen one of those for a while. I wonder if the dead trees in a nearby field being cut down have made them move elsewhere.

So with winter soon to replace this ‘warmer’ weekend, spare a though and a few peanuts or seeds for those animals you watch in the warmer months around your house and garden.

JAY WALKING IN MY GARDEN

Recently I’ve been posting about how I’d been seeing jays almost daily in and around the lane I live on and also near the garden.

Well this week they have been actually feeding in my garden, a pretty exciting step for them to take, especially given their sensitive and shy nature.

The first time a jay was in the garden is was one the fence, looking at the peanuts on the floor that had dropped out of my bag last weekend, the second time it was feeding on those nuts early one morning.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get my camera in time to get an image of this colourful bird, but next time I’ll be better prepared.

The weather is certainly colder as winter starts to take hold of the country, although it’s not severe enough to see many birds on the feeders.

That said I’m not around too much in daylight hours to see them, but there must be an increased number because the feeders are being drained quicker than last month.

This week I have some time to myself and watching which birds are now visiting my garden is one of my tasks.

I was looking at images from almost three years ago when there was about a foot of snow in our garden and was wondering if this is something we’ll see this winter.

While the really cold weather, harsh frost and heavy snow plays havoc for wildlife looking for food to survive on a daily basis, it also helps wipe out bacteria and other unwanted things and effectively ‘clears the slate’ ready for spring and the breeding season.

It’s simply a case of nature taking its course and while we might want to fight certain things, it’s never going to stop long-term, a bit like trying to stop the tide. It happens, it’s not perfect, but it’s worked for millions of years; so let’s embrace it.

PREPARING THE GARDEN FOR WINTER

So the mild November is continuing and the wildlife in and around my garden is continuing to make the most of the conditions.

The peanut and fat snack bird feeders in my garden are not being emptied as often as when they are during harsh winter conditions, so I can only assume that there is still natural food around.

It has been wet and windy this week and I’m wondering if any winter visitors will be making a trip to my part of the country.

I’d love to see a redwing, but there are not enough trees or bushes providing berries within a short distance of my house.

I’m trying to grow a couple of winter berry bushes in my garden, but they are still young and may never provide a quantity of food even when fully grown, well as fully grown as I want them to be!

Yesterday I prepared the borders for winter and tidied the garden in general. The lawn was raked, all the dead summer border plants cut short and the leaves that covered the lawn, along with raked grass, coated on the borders.

I’ve done this to provide shelter for insects during winter, give the soil protection during heavy frosts and provide the soil with natural nutrients that worms will eventually ‘feed’ into the soil.

 

This process is something I’ve done for a few years now and it seems to help provide a great base for flowering plants. In spring I plan to add something new to the mix, some horse manure from the stables behind our house.

It was just done in time as we had the first frost of the winter last night.

 

There was great excitement in the house this week after the chattering of one of my favourite family birds, the long tailed tit, was heard.

I listened to the group chirp away before I saw them dancing from branch to branch among the nearest trees. They didn’t visit any of my feeders so this seems to back up the theory I mentioned earlier as I can only presume they’re not going hungry because there is enough natural food.

One other thing I’ve noticed during this heavy rain is the amount of earthworms that have been above ground. I know this is normal but I’ve seen plenty on pavements and hard surfaces, suggesting that the ground is too saturated for them, even on the top layers.

What will this mean for the benefits we get from worms by aerating the soil, thus helping water drain through? Perhaps this is only the beginning of a new natural process, but if the rain starts to recede maybe worms can find their home will be habitable again and the status quo will exist again.

A LOVELY SURPRISE

I’ve had a few chances to view the wildlife in the daylight this week and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some new regular visitors.

I have seen jays around every so often, mainly down the lane, but to see them regularly and in my garden has been a joy.

They are traditionally a woodland bird but I suspect a lack of food is making them search further. Perhaps the acorn harvest has been poor, or the local population has increased thus dispersion has brought them nearer to my garden.

I suspect it could be a bit of both plus the fact these secretive birds are getting bolder as competition for food increases.

So as we’re on the verge of proper winter weather will my garden see more of these colourful birds and how many other species will venture to feed on my fatty snacks and peanuts?

I’m looking forward to the colder weather as it’ll give me more chance to see the birds in the leafless trees, well most of them anyway.

One thing has surprised me is the newly emerged flower from one of my sunflower plants. It’s only a small one, but I suspect the lack of frosts and a few ‘milder’ days has encouraged the flower to appear.

In other news I’ve noticed a number of ladybirds inside the house, most risking being trodden on have been rescued and placed somewhere they can make a winter home.

I’d not seen many this summer so I’m hoping the fact I’ve seen a few this autumn means that there hasn’t been a population crash this year.

One of my favourite times of the year is when fresh snow falls overnight and you can go out looking at which wildlife has been out and about during darkness and in the daylight.

 

How long will it be before this happens? Only time will tell.

WINTER VISITORS SIGHTED?

The frost and for that greeted me this morning was another indication that winter is starting to wrap her hands around the country, particularly where I live.

There are positives to the cold of winter; it kills of bugs/germs that would otherwise thrive in non-freezing conditions, plus it ensures the survival of the fittest wildlife so making the next generation the strongest possible.

Last winter wasn’t cold enough to deliver the usual benefits and this spring and summer have made for terrible breeding conditions for a lot of wildlife. None more so than the great tits that lost all eight chicks in the nestbox that contains a camera in my garden.

I’m expecting to see some winter visitors soon, although as we’re on the western side of the UK, not as many as those who live in a more easterly direction.

This week I’ve noticed chaffinches and goldfinches close to the garden, while I’m sure a flock of redwing flew over the garden.

As the weather gets colder then I’m sure the influx of visitors will increase and my nut feeders will feature a wide variety of birds.

A grey squirrel has been noticed close to our garden on a regular basis, and I’ve even see it in my garden once. I suspect it’ll be back when the weather gets colder.

The grass has grown long in the garden, but I’m leaving it for a while so the insects that are sheltering there can make it to the leaf-laden borders and long term winter residence.

Having not spent much daylight time at home and in the garden I’m hoping the next few weeks will give me a better indication as to what is happening with the local wildlife.