A NEW FAMILY IN MY NESTBOX

Two main bits of news since my bizarre video from a few days ago. First of all thank you to those people who told me that the bizarre video was of ermine moth caterpillars. The fully grown moth is below.

The blue tits’ nestbox (the one with the camera that still doesn’t work) now has house sparrow chicks in, which I can hear calling for food.

I’ve never heard of this kind of behaviour before (a bird taking over another nest immediately after the first birds fledged), although, as previously mentioned in my blog, I did find a dead house sparrow in the nest of the blue tits a few years ago.

It’s great to know that two species of bird have utilised the same ‘house’ that I’ve provided for wildlife, and good to know the mealworm, peanut and seed hand-outs I provide are being used to help raise the next generation.

I’m not sure when the house sparrow chicks will fledge but suspect they have another three or maybe five days left in the nest.

In other news the robin chicks have visited the garden with one of the parent birds and made use of the mealworms I’m still providing.

The great tits and blue tits have not been seen in or around the garden for a few days and I suspect they’re not far away, just skulking in the hedges, bushes and trees while the parents undergo the annual moult.

There seems to be plenty of young birds about, much more than last year, including magpies, blackbirds, goldfinches, chiffchaffs and long tailed tits.

A large family of long tailed tits visited the garden this week and I counted nine, which may not mean seven youngsters as there might also have been a couple of cousins and siblings of the parent birds.

The good news has been a dramatic increase in the amount of bees visiting the flowers in the garden. The foxgloves have been a particular favourite with roses and pyracantha a taking second place.

Let’s hope the summer can deliver some good conditions for continued growth and prosperity of all wildlife, to make up for last year.

BIZARRE SUMMER SPECTACLE

While out on my bike on Frodsham Marshes I came across a line of elderflower bushes that appeared to have been covered in a tangle of webs.

Upon closer inspection the 'webs' were interlinked, attached the to ground and had tens of thousands of caterpillars crawling all over them.

This is the second year in a row I've seen them and the same scene continued for about 400 yards along this track. No other shrubs or trees were affected.

Can Springwatch help solve this? Watch the video on my YouTube site to see it all http://youtu.be/H7WaFh8t8NA

 

UNUSUAL NEST SITES

While attending a wedding at a small church hall in rural North Yorkshire I noticed two unusual nest locations.

 

A pair of swallows, which were on eggs, had nested inside the porch of the hall (first two images) while a pair of blue tits had small chicks in a crack in a wall next to the rear door.

 

Both pairs carried on as normal, despite over 60 people spending about five hours in and around the hall.

 

I took these images the next day and can confirm the birds were none the worse for the wedding party, indeed they appear to take it in their stride as the hall is often busy with events of all kinds.

 

SWALLOW NEST

 

 

 

 

BLUE TITS NEST 

SUMMER IS HERE, WELL FOR NOW ANYWAY

A week of lovely early summer weather has been enjoyed by all forms of life, wild and human.

The railway bridge robin family is still gathering mealworms from my garden, although I suspect the chicks have fledged, as the parent birds dart of in different directions each time they pick up a mealworm delivery.

I’m hoping the parents bring the chicks to the garden, as they have done in previous years, although I’ll just have to wait and see.

As I’m writing this outside in the morning sun, the parents are buzzing all around me, calling at me and looking forlornly in my direction. It’s weird but they have done it so many times recently that I know they’re basically asking for my next supply of mealworms!

The blackbird parents are busy gathering food too and making use of the mealworms hand-outs for their chicks. The nest is behind our house and near the horse stable where the swallows are nesting.

Just now a swallow has burst into song and it’s probably my favourite sound of summer.

The blue tits have not been seen all week and I suspect the parents have taken the chicks to explore the wider area, while they begin their moult.

I’ve only seen fleeting glances of the great tits, so suspect the chicks have fledged and will soon be heading off just like the blue tits.

The one surprise has been the house sparrows. At least two families have fledged chicks, with some even being fed in the garden.

But the strangest news is around a pair of house sparrows that has built a nest in the camera nestbox, on top of the old blue tit nest.

Most years a pair of house sparrows has inspected the camera nestbox, but usually after it’s been occupied. In 2011 I found a dead house sparrow in the nest of the great tit family when clearing the nestbox out in the autumn.

This behaviour is something I’ve never seen or heard of before and I’ll be keeping a close eye on this as the month progresses.

My only disappointment is that the camera is still not working!

The flora in the garden has burst into life and the foxgloves are about to open the flowers and provide bees and butterflies with an ample supply of nectar.

 

HOW MUCH CAN CHANGE IN A WEEK IN WILDLIFE?

What a difference a week makes, not just for politics but for wildlife too.

The weather has miraculously changed into summer mode and looks like it could hold out for at least another week – perhaps getting even warmer than it is now!

While last weekend was very nice Bank Holiday Monday was wet, windy and cool, but it didn’t stop the first major fledging of the year – well the first one I officially know of.

 

I'm sat here in late evening typing this post as a robin is scouring the garden just inches from me, before breaking out in to song, which I roughly translate as being - Where Are My Mealworms!

 

The blue tits appear to have gone and this year they didn’t come and say goodbye, which is what happened in 2010 as the picture below will demonstrate.

I didn’t see any of the blue tit chicks actually outside of the nestbox, but did see the adults trying to entice them outside with caterpillars – despite the weather going from sunshine to heavy rain on the Bank Holiday Monday.

I suspect that at least one of the two robin families that have been visiting my garden and feasting on the mealworm hand-outs have also fledged, and the other family based by the railway bridge must surely be almost ready to go.

One of the house families has definitely fledged in the last couple of days as yesterday I saw at least three chicks begging to be fed by the adults, before having their beaks stuffed with mealworms.

The blackbird family eggs have hatched as both male and female are regularly seen gathering food in and around the garden. I don’t know where the nest is but suspect it may be near the railway bridge.

Talking of the bridge, I’m yet to confirm if the swallows I saw underneath there have actually made a nest. I have seen a number of them gathering mud this week, so perhaps the nest is currently ‘under construction’.

One family I’m sure still has chicks is the great tits, as they are now regular visitors to the mealworm hand-outs; again I’ve not idea where the nest is.

Finally I had a new butterfly species visit my garden, the beautiful and aptly named Orange-Tip. It didn’t stay for long, but it was wonderfully coloured and if all my butterfly and bee friendly plants continue to increase in number, then perhaps I’ll see it again soon.

FLEDGING IN THE RAIN?

The weather recently has been interesting, cool for spring and seems to be finally making its mind up that summer is a season we’re allowed in the UK.

With a few days of warmer weather of late, I’ve noticed plenty of butterflies and bees around and this is encouraging as a sign that the weather could actually be good this summer.

The blackbirds must have chicks as both the male and female are now seen regularly in the garden looking for the odd worm, insect or piece of fruit.

Both parents are also taking mealworms, which is good as I’d like all parent birds to make use of the food offering I’m giving out.

Where the blackbird’s nest is, I just don’t yet know, but it’s another one I’m eagerly looking for.

The blue tits are also making use of the mealworm hand-outs, although they do seem to have found some caterpillars, which is good news for a whole host of other birds too.

The caterpillars are very small so I think they’ve only just started emerging in the last week or so.

I think the blue tit chicks will be fledging very soon as the youngsters are being very vocal whenever the parents bring food.

One set of parents that seem to thrive on the mealworm hand-outs is the robins. Both local families are in or around the garden within seconds of me emerging from the house.

If I’m not around the garden and there are no mealworms, the robins seem to wander around, knowing I could be watching through the windows, trying to ‘force’ me to deliver a new batch to the feeding station.

The various house sparrow families are obviously still feeding up their youngsters as they are another bird, along with great tits and dunnocks, which are making short work of the mealworms.

I think I know where the nest sites are, but no definitive location has yet been found. Perhaps the next week or two will help my search.

Finally I’ve seen both the male and female great spotted woodpecker adults eating from fat snacks in and around the garden.

I suspect, just like the blackbirds, there are young chicks in their nest and as finding food has been difficult, they’ve ‘raided’ the next best food source, which just happens to be my fat snacks!

It’s really good to know they’re around and I hope they do stay, as winter visits are frequent, but summer ones are not.

In the next few weeks I’m looking at making contact with a hedgehog rescue group as I’d like to have these garden-friendly animals around our house and the surrounding area. More news on this next time.

HOW MANY BIRDS HAVE CHICKS?

The weather is playing mind games with everyone at the moment; one day it’s spring, the next day it’s like winter is returning.

I’ve been continuing with the mealworm hand-outs and also kept the fat snacks filled, both of which have been very well received by the birds.

Putting the mealworms out has given me a chance to calculate which birds have chicks, and if so find where the nests are.

I know the blue tits nesting in the camera nestbox have got chicks, even though I can’t see them because the camera isn’t working! The two parents are very grateful for the mealworms, because it seems there are very few caterpillars about.

When there haven’t been any mealworms on offer the blue tits are taking tiny fragments of the fat snacks for the chicks, which is unusual but seems to be working.

Two robin families are present and I’ve managed to track one to the railway bridge, although the exact location of the nest is yet to be determined.

The other robin family hasn’t been traced, although I know the general direction the nest is in.

The railway bridge robins seem to have some neighbours in the shape of a pair of swallows who I think are building a nest right underneath the bridge.

I know swallows that nest under a swing bridge over a river, but I’ve never heard, or known, swallows nesting under a railway bridge.

The house sparrows are also taking some mealworms along with a pair of great tits, although the location of these nests is still a mystery.

I suspect the blackbirds are on eggs as I’ve only seen and heard the males during the last week.

The male great spotted woodpecker is now a daily visitor, mainly to the fat snacks although I’ve seen him take a few mealworms.

He’s such a flighty bird that he’s rarely around for longer than a few minutes.

With little natural food it seems all the nesting birds with chicks are using the fat snacks to feed their youngsters, which is something I’d never thought about before.

Even so, I’m limiting the mealworm hand-outs as I don’t want the birds to be reliant on them as I can’t be here all the time to put them out.

Next time I might have some fledging news!