FLEDGINGS AND VEGETABLES

After the great tit chicks fledge the nest earlier in the week, the blue tits managed to wait until someone could witness their departure into the big wide world – well the area around the garden.

The numbers of great tits that fledged is unknown, and while there were eight blue tits that fledged, a maximum of six were spotted high in the trees calling for food and reassurance.

It would be surprising if all eight didn’t fledged, but it’s so hard to tell if they all did.

The first one leapt for freedom at about 11am, but it took until mid afternoon for the last one to come out, and then a further couple of hours to reach the others at the top of the trees overlooking the garden.

They roosted nearby as they could all be heard at dusk chattering away, and at dawn they could be heard again.

They’ll probably be taken further afield by their parents in the coming days, but hopefully they will come back later in the summer to see their original home garden.

The vegetable growing season is well underway now with tomatoes, broad beans and chilli peppers all coming along nicely.

A few sunflowers have fallen victim to the snails and slugs in the garden, but the rest, along with some tomatoes and all the broad beans, are now outside.

It’ll be another month or so before we see if the sunflowers reach their potential, and if the tomatoes, chilli peppers and broad beans produce a good crop.

A SPRING IN MY STEP

Has spring finally sprung? It certainly feels like it and the birds seem to know it around my garden.

I’ve seen pairs of great tits, blue tits and dunnocks flirting together while the blackbird couple spend time in the garden and surrounding area a few times a day.

The great tits seem to be showing great interest in the nestbox with the camera in, although while I can’t be sure if one or both are roosting in there because the camera still isn’t working, I’m confident that it is happening. The alarm calls at dusk when I’m in the garden seem to be a good indication of this.

Looking at the camera I feel the fault is definitely with the aerial sending the signals to the receiver as the infa red lights on the camera are working, showing power is getting there. If anyone has any suggestions as to what I can do, please post a comment, it would be much appreciated.

Over the weekend the great tits were witnessed displaying to each other while picking up pieces of dead grass, which could be nesting material.

The robin that follows me around the garden has been seen with a potential mate in the last few days, including a few minutes of displaying to each other over the weekend. Perhaps they will use the robin nestbox that has been in my garden for four years, but only used once.

My favourite visitor of the weekend was a song thrush, which seems to have taken a liking to my garden and the surrounding area, and is now almost as common a site as the other birds. Below is the best image I have of it so far, but I’ll keep trying for a better one.

Song thrush in my garden

The house sparrow flock seems to be getting louder, although this is probably down to the signals that spring is here, rather than a problem with my hearing!

I suspect they will disperse a little in the coming weeks to find a suitable communal nest site, which may be close to my garden – in which case I’ll be seeing them all spring and summer.

So as spring starts to appear, it won’t be long before the current dawn chorus of song thrush, blackbird and robin is joined by my favourite summer resident, the swallow.

I hear through @Swallowsighting that some swallows are already starting the long journey to the UK and perhaps we’ll see one by Easter. Fingers crossed because they’re presence in this country is something we should celebrate and enjoy.